


When Fire Meets Ice

by MV23



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Bellice - Freeform, F/F, Non-Human Bella, Werewolf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2018-02-23 08:36:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 56,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2541266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MV23/pseuds/MV23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I am a full-blooded werewolf with superhuman strength and speed. I'm allergic to silver and am affected by the curse of the moon. I've been alone for centuries…a rogue wolf, with no one or nothing to live for, and frankly, I don't give a damn anymore. I just exist."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 

Time. Sometimes you feel like you have too much of it and other times it feels as if you do not have enough. I, for one, have had far more than my fill of it.

For over six hundred years, I think I've managed to do everything to kill time. I've studied countless different subjects, lived in nearly every part of the world at least once (starting in Italy, where I was born), and am fluent in several different languages and dialects.

The world has gone through immense changes since I was born and, in my opinion, it's in one of its most interesting phases to date. Individualism is at its peak in popularity and that's saying something, especially after the crazy ass hippies of the 1960s. Science fiction fantasies and its monsters are extremely trendy as well, with vampires and werewolves (or lycans) at the top of the list.

Fuck vampires, though. I hate them. As for werewolves, well, I am one. A real, full-blooded werewolf. As in, I have superhuman strength and speed, I'm allergic to silver, and am affected by the curse of the moon. Because of my advanced age, I can change into my wolf-like form, at will without a problem. All my bones have break, shift, and re-grow to transform. When it's voluntary, I can do it quickly with only being slightly sore, but under the full moon, it becomes a mandatory, slow process and extremely painful. That's why they call it a curse.

There aren't many of us left after the genocide of my species. Vampires, namely the Volturi, killed off hundreds of my kind…my family included. Since I was just nine-years-old, I've been alone…a rogue wolf, so to speak, with no one or nothing to live for, and frankly, I don't give a damn anymore. I just exist.

For the last five years or so, I have been staying in Phoenix, Arizona, and even though the desert is beautiful, my inner animal can't stand the city scene and the restraints I have to have in order to act as human as possible. Plus, my body hasn't aged since I reached my full maturity at 20 so it would be noticeable sooner or later. Now the question is: Where the hell do I go?

I needed a change of scenery and I wanted to go to a more remote place. I opened a map of the US, closed my eyes and just picked. Yea I am that indecisive. I opened my eyes to see that my finger had landed on the state of Washington…and a town called Forks. Well, haven't been there yet.

I figured I could run in my fur and get there in a couple of days if I take my time. There's no rush. It's Tuesday, and hopefully by the end of the week I can register as a new student at the high school. I wouldn't be surprised if it was called Forks High.

* * *

 

I waited till the dead of night to leave. I look up at the sky and see the waning of the moon. Once I was out far enough away from the city, I tied my bag with my clothes and essentials (like new IDs and such) around my leg, and I focused on the transformation, only taking less than two seconds. I groan as I move each joints to get over the sore stiffness. It's always a little sore the first voluntary shift after the full moon. 

I take off running and within no time at all, I reach a river. I approach the bank and look at my reflection. I have the head of a wolf, although I have a little bit longer canine teeth that are 10x sharper than normal and my golden yellow eyes. Hell, on all fours I could be mistaken for a huge wolf but as I stand up on my hind legs, a huge wolf is what my prey wish I was. I glance down at the rest of my massive body that resembles the body of a bodybuilder just covered in chocolate brown fur. I examine my long digits and sharp claws, and reach behind me to grab my long bushy tail. I let out an amused huff _. With all the movies that humans have made about werewolves, the only one to pinpoint the look almost exactly would be "Van Helsing"…and even they forgot the tail._

I got back down on all fours and looked up at the stars for direction. As soon as I got my heading, I started sprinting north for Forks, Washington.

* * *

 

As predicted, I arrived in Forks early Friday morning. I shift back to my human form and put on a t-shirt, jeans, and some sneakers. I'll have to look for a place later today to take a shower. First things first, I gotta register for school or else I won't do it at all. High school can be so damn boring.

I start making my way out of the woods and my nose scrunches up to a revolting musky smell. _Ugh what is that?_ I looked around to see if I could find the source to the repulsive smell but came up empty handed. _Oh well. Whatever._

Again, I head into town and find the high school almost in the dead center of it. _Forks High School. I knew it._ I walk in through the main doors of the administration building right up to the desk.

"Hi," I smile at the elderly lady sitting behind the counter. "My name is Isabella Swan, and I would like to register as a new student."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Monday. First day of school. Fuck. School is so damn boring, but it's a chore that's gotta be done. Obviously I don't go for the lessons they teach. I go to observe human interactions. It's always changing. If I am attempting to look like a 16-year-old, I better know how to act like one.

I shower with scalding hot water to relieve the tension in my muscles. Even after all these years and the ungodly amount of times I've enrolled in schools, I still get anxious. I don't know why. Not like I give a fuck about making a good impression. After I finish getting ready, I give myself one last look in the mirror. I'm wearing dark wash skinny jeans, black Converse, and a plain black v-neck top that hugs my body in all the right places. I'm not overly thin but have tone, tan muscles thanks to my lycan genes. My long, dark, chocolate brown hair falls down to my mid back. The last thing I look at are my eyes…a dark forest green…same as my mother's. A sign that I still have time. They always change to a sharp, gold color the day of the full moon or right before I shift. At least I can hold off on wearing the green contacts. I hate those fucking things.

After gathering all my school supplies and stuffing them into a backpack, I walk out the door of my small house and make my way to the nearest bus stop. The house was somewhat close to town but secluded enough so that I could have my privacy. I can only muffle my howls of pain so much when it comes time for the full moon.

I shuttered just thinking about the pain. I've tried everything I could possibly imagine to even reduce some of it with no luck. I remember one time in particular in my early days when I tried staying in wolf form a whole day before the full moon rose. Never again. My body shifted back to human ever-so-slowly and then back to wolf form again. I experienced excruciating pain twice as long as I would have if I had just let it happen as it's supposed to. It was almost as if the curse was punishing me more for trying to evade it.

The only "remedy", so-to-speak, I've ever heard of was a plant called wolfsbane. It was supposed to halt any transformation while it was in your system…and no transformation = no pain. I had heard my parents talking about it was I was a kid, but apparently, the Volturi had hunted and burned the plant to extinction as fiercely as they had hunted us. They knew we were weakest during the full moon shift and the plant would also give us the ability to blend in better with society during that monthly night.

I pushed that thought out of my head when I arrived at the bus stop and waited patiently for my ride to school. I'll think about it again in a few weeks when I have to. On the bus ride to school, I try to memorize all the streets and routes, although it's difficult to concentrate on anything with all the noise. The kids won't shut up. Luckily, since it was already part way through the first semester, everyone pretty much sat with their usual friends (or so I'm guessing), and I had a seat to myself. Though that didn't seem to stop all the curious glances being thrown my way. Curious glances I could take. It's the occasional winks and wagging eyebrows from the puny, pathetic freshmen boys that were starting to get to me. _I need to get a damn car or a ride or something._

Finally, we arrived at the school, and within two minutes of stepping foot onto the campus, I'm approached by a lanky, ok-looking Asian boy. "Hi! You must be the new girl, Isabella Swan, right?" my eyebrows furrowed.

_Damn that was quick._ "Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

"Word travels fast around here, and we don't get that many new kids," _Noted_. "Plus, you don't look like a freshman, so I figured you were the new girl. I'm Eric," he said holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Eric. I prefer Bella, by the way."

"Do you need any help finding your first class?"

"Actually, yea. I have English with…Mason?" I said looking at my schedule.

"I have that class too!" Eric's eyes lit up. "Do you mind if I walk you to class?" I shook my head, letting him lead the way. _Don't get your hopes up too high. I don't find your gender that appealing._

I learned long ago that I preferred the company of women over men. Men just didn't do it for me. Women are so much more complex. I mean I tried with a few guys over the year…especially during the early 1900s when being gay was…frowned upon to say the least. Not that I would've cared normally, but it was hard enough being werewolf during that time with everyone being all superstitious. I didn't need the extra attention. Eventually, I got tired of it. And it's more acceptable now anyway.

We walked into English class and after giving my normal introductions to the teacher, I took a seat with Eric taking the one right next to me. Then suddenly, I was hit with a familiar sickening sweet scent.

_Vampire._

I went rigid in my chair and gripped the edge of my desk as I tried to calm my inner beast. A low growl was erupting in my chest, and I could already feel my canine teeth elongating slightly. I knew my eyes were already yellow since those always changed along with my teeth. I clenched my jaw shut and just waited for the creature to walk into…

_…into the classroom? That couldn't be right? A vampire would tear this place apart_.

In walked the creature. Looked like a vampire. Tall, muscular, good-looking guy with curly blonde hair. Skin that looks as smooth and hard as marble. Pale as fuck. Sure matched the description of a normal vamp…only his eyes were a topaz color…and he was in a classroom with a bunch of humans. I mean yeah, he looked uncomfortable, but that doesn't explain as to how he's not mauling everyone in here right now.

_…And now he's heading to the seat diagonally in front of me… Is he in this class?_

_A vampire. In a high school. In my English class. Full of humans. Appearing to look like a student._

_It's official. Now I've seen everything. "Vampire walks into a classroom"…sounds more the beginning of a corny joke…or a horror movie scene_.

His eyes met mine for a moment, and I panicked and immediately looked away. I grabbed my new cell phone and looked into the dark screen for a glimpse of my reflection. My eyes had gone back to green. I ran my tongue over my teeth but they had already gone back to normal length as well. Guess the shock and confusion of a vamp walking into the classroom distracted the beast within me too. He shouldn't be able to tell me apart from other humans as long as my beast behaves. I don't smell different than your average human…well I don't smell as good anyway. I don't smell bad, just not amazing. A human's scent compared to mine would be like comparing a freshly baked batch of cookies next to a piece of fruit or something. It's not that I stink…it's just that my scent isn't so alluring so I'm able to be overlooked by my enemies a little easier.

I let my body relax a little, but still kept alert as the class went on. Just because the vamp was keeping up a human appearance, it didn't calm my nerves. I was still very nervous. If he's attending this school, that means he must live nearby…although the thought of a leech keeping a permanent residence near a town just seemed…weird. _Then again, vampire student._

_Ok, so say he is maintaining a residence nearby. Should I find out where that is and take him out? I don't want to be looking over my shoulder for the next few years and I've already settled here. I'm stubborn enough to not wanna leave. Besides, I've killed bloodsuckers before. If he has a mate, I'd have to kill them too. Can't have one running to the Volturi and telling them they know the location of a werewolf. Fuck that. Two vampires would be a little more difficult but nothing I haven't handled before. In the mean time though, I probably shouldn't hunt. I don't wanna come across them in my wolf form until the proper moment. …and I should probably wear my contacts tomorrow until further notice in case I get on edge around him again. Damnit. Fucking leech is making my life difficult already_.

As the bell rang, I thought of shooting for the door, but I wanted to make my discomfort as subtle as possible. I didn't want to raise any suspicions in the golden-eyed vampire. "Hey Bella, you ok?" asked Eric as I watched it leave out of the corner of my eye. "You seemed a bit uncomfortable during lecture."

_Hmm. Uncomfortable doesn't even begin to describe it_. "Uh yea. Just a lot to take in, you know. I don't want to be behind for too long," I lied through my teeth.

"Well, if you need a tutor or anything, let me know," he smiled.

_Ha. Tutor. I've sat in an English class more times than our own teacher…_ "I think I'm ok for now, but thanks for the offer," I replied, letting him down easy.

The next few classes thankfully went by pretty smoothly…and by that, I mean I didn't have another class with the bloodsucker. Although, I noticed that the halls reeked with that sweet smell. _Humans are so oblivious to everything._ I heard the usual whispers in the hallways about me ranging from: "Is that the new girl?" and "She's so hot", to my favorite: "I'll hit that". Sometimes it can be annoying to hear everything but it's moments like those that make it very entertaining.

As always, I met a few more students in my other classes. Jessica, who is extremely annoying and talkative, I had in my math and government class. A guy named Mike, who was in my math class, was very flirty and would not stop hitting on me. And Angela, she was in my math and Spanish class. Her, I can see myself getting along with. She was quiet, but friendly and didn't ask too many questions. I had learned during a passing period that all three of them and including Eric, were all in the same group of friends (not that it should shock me considering the size of the school) and insisted that I sat with them for lunch.

"How you liking your classes so far, Bella?" Eric asked as we all got situated at the lunch table.

"They're ok I guess. Shouldn't be too hard to catch up. Some of the topics they're teaching I've already learned back in Phoenix." _And a hundred other places._

"So, why did you like, move all the way here from Phoenix?" Jessica asked. "Did you parents get transferred here or something?"

"I don't have any parents. They died when I was really young, and I didn't really get along with y foster parents so I got emancipated from them. I wanted to put as much space as I could between them and me as I could. A friend back home had told me about this town so I moved here." _At_ _least the first part isn't a lie._

"How'd you get the money to move up here?" Angela asked.

"I inherited money from my parents that I wasn't supposed to access till I was eighteen, but since I'm emancipated the courts granted me access early," same bullshit lies every time.

"Your parents must have been loaded," replied Mike.

"Something like that, I guess."

"I like an independent woman," Mike winked at me. _Oh God._

Once again, I was hit that sweet scent, only this time it was much more concentrated. I saw the blonde male vamp walk into the lunchroom with a tray of food. _That's just so wrong._ My gaze darted to a little petite thing with the same complexion following right after him. She had short black hair, and sharp, pixie-like features. She was so small, and her movements were more fluid and graceful than any vampire I had ever seen before; it was almost as if she was dancing to music that only she could hear. I couldn't help but be mesmerized.  _She's so beautiful…but they're all beautiful._

_That must be his mate_. My heart sunk momentarily at the fact that I was going to kill her, but I quickly dismissed the feeling. _Why the fuck do I care? She's one of them. It has to be done. I don't have a choice._ I watched as they sat down at an empty table at the far side of the cafeteria.

I continued to smell that odor toward the main doors which confused me. _Could there be more of them?_ As soon as the thought crossed my mind, three more blood suckers entered the doorway…two males and a female. _Oh shit._


	3. Chapter 2

_**Could there be more of them? As soon as the thought crossed my mind, three more blood suckers entered the doorway…two males and a female. Oh shit.**_

* * *

 

One of the males was the size of a huge NFL player…and I'm talking one of the biggest ones. He had short jet black hair and this oddly, innocent look to his face for someone his size. He was holding the hand of the female. She looked like a blonde supermodel. I'm surprised I didn't hear any whispers from guys about her. The other male was, of course, good-looking. He wasn't very built, but he wasn't too lanky either. His hair was a bronze color and it looked like he had just had sex or something. I watched as they joined the other couple of bloodsuckers at their table.

 _Fuck. Five fucking leeches._ Things just got complicated in a very surreal way.

"Looks like Bella's noticed the Cullens," Jessica said snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Who?" I tried to play off.

"The Cullens. They're Dr. Cullen and Mrs. Cullen's foster kids, and they moved here about a year ago." _And now I'm guessing there's two more. Son of a bitch._ "They are all like, dating each other. It's so weird," Jessica explained. _No, the weird part is the size of the fucking coven._

"They aren't actually related, Jess," Angela defended.

"Yea, but they live together. It's just weird. Anyway, Emmett Cullen is the big guy, and the blonde is his girlfriend, Rosalie Hale. Jasper, the blonde guy that always looks like he's in pain, is her twin," _Yea, because he's trying not to have you for lunch,_ "and he's with Alice, the little one. And then there's Edward Cullen. He's the only single one, but I wouldn't waste my time."

"Mrs. Cullen's cousins died in an accident, and they took in Emmett, Alice, and Edward," Angela explained. "Later on, they adopted the Hale twins since they couldn't have any kids of their own."

"The Cullens keep to themselves. I hardly ever see them talking to anyone outside of their little group. Seriously, don't waste your time," Jess emphasized once more with a harsh tone. _Five bucks says she tried to get with Edward at one point._

"He's not really my type but thanks," _plus our species are natural enemies. Nope, no chance in hell I'd be interested in Edward_. The others continued on with their conversation, and I pretended to listen as I tried eavesdropping on the Cullens.

"So, that's the new girl everyone's been talking about? What does she have to think about us after our unofficial introductions, Edward? She think we're hot?" I heard one of the male ask in a tone too low for the humans to hear.

"I don't know. I can't seem to read her thoughts," I assume Edward replied. _He can read thoughts, huh? Bet he's real frustrated he can't read mine._ Vampire gifts don't work on my kind.

"I couldn't sense her emotions in class," Jasper must have said in a very slight southern accent.

"And I can't see her future," a little musical voice chimed in. _Two others have gifts…and nothing. Point proven_.

"None of your gifts work? You think she's even human?" a bitchy tone asked.

"She doesn't smell any different," Emmett said.

"Not like those dogs on the rez. I'll give you that. But her scent is weak." _She's observant…And what dogs?_

"I think she smells really good," the musical voice said.

"I can barely smell her, Alice," Jasper replied.

"I can smell her just fine," Alice chimed back. _What? 'Alice' can smell me better than the others? Odd. Either way, my lack of scent is supposed to help me blend in…not make me suspicious. What the hell makes these vamps different from other ones? Does it have something to do with their eye color?_ Before, I could even stop myself, I chanced a look back at the coven. They were all staring in my direction with indistinguishable expressions…except for Alice. She had a warm smile on her face. I looked away trying to seem rather passive, though a stare down was very tempting. They were already suspicious of me. _Don't want to add gasoline to the fire. Seven vampires to take out. FUCK. I'm gonna have to take em out a little at a time. There's no way I can take the whole group of them head on. It's a risk. I'm going to have to get them to trust me somehow and get them alone, one-by-one or in pairs. All while concealing my true identity. Shit. I'll start with the least threating one. Alice._

* * *

Turns out, I had my next two classes with Mike as well (goodie) so he showed me the way to our Biology class after lunch. When we entered the class, my eyes immediately darted straight to the sex-haired, pale-skinned motherfucker sitting across the room and then flashed to the empty chair next to him. _For the love of God, please don't let that be the only empty seat. PLEASE!_

"Ah, yes, Isabella. I've been expecting you," Mr. Banner said after I introduced myself to him.

"I prefer Bella, if you don't mind, Mr. Banner," I corrected.

"Yes, of course. Well, it looks like the only empty seat I have for you would be next to Mr. Cullen. So, if you wouldn't mind, please take your seat, and class will begin shortly." _Yes I would mind, actually. This is testing my patience just a little bit too far for one day._ I made my way over to my seat as I concentrated on keeping my breathing calm and my facial expression blank. As I sat in my chair, my inner wolf was chomping at my insides. It took everything I had to fight my instincts and not lean over and rip the son-of-a-bitch's head off.

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen. You're Bella Swan?" the creature said as he flashed me a charming crooked smile. I simply nodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet. "So what brings you here from Phoenix?" _You're gonna have to talk to him, Bella, if you're gonna make them trust you._ I groaned internally before I spoke.

"What you don't know?"

"I'm sorry?" Edward looked confused.

"I'm just surprised. I told people why at lunch and with how fast the students talk around here, I would have guessed that you would have known by now too," I forced a smile, and then proceeded to tell him my usual story. Thankfully, he didn't get a chance to ask much more because class had started and the lecture took up the rest of the class period. I pretended to be concentrated in whatever Mr. Banner was saying but truthfully, as in all of the other classes, I had learned it all before, and it gave me a chance to let my mind focus on restraining the wolf...which was definitely something I needed to concentrate on.

* * *

I walked into the women's locker room after talking with Coach Clapp and was given a locker and combo. I turned the corner and walked smack into a wall…or at least felt like it. I stumbled back a couple steps and looked down at a very apologetic vampire.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry! Please forgive me! I-"

"It's alright. Don't worry about it," I interrupted. _How did I not smell her coming around the corner?_

"I'm Alice, and you're Bella, right?" she smiled. I nodded, taking a moment to analyze her scent that I inexplicably missed. _Mmm…strawberries and mint._ Her scent wasn't overly sweet like the others but rather intoxicating to me. Explains why I didn't sense a vampire right away. Alice looked down on the floor, picked up a tiny slip of paper, and analyzed it for a split second. "Is this your locker number?" she asked holding the paper out to me. I took it from her and realized it was the paper Coach Clapp had given me with my assigned locker and combo written on it.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Well, that's the locker right next to mine!" _With my luck, of course it would be._ "C'mon! I'll show it to you!" she enthusiastically led the way.

I got dressed quickly and followed her out to the center of the gym where they had assigned places to stand in order to take attendance. I stood off to the side, waiting for instruction from the teacher on where to stand, and it was there that I noticed that Alice wasn't the only vampire I had for gym. The big one named Emmett was standing in the spot right next to Alice. _I have all of the bloodsuckers in my classes except for the blonde female. This school is way too damn small._

The coach told us to run a few laps around the gym and it earned a few groans from the students. I didn't have a problem with it…but then again I have a better stamina than humans even in my human form. In human form, I was way faster and stronger than normal humans. Of course, I still wasn't as fast or as strong as the vamps in this form but I could still fend for myself a bit. In my fur, it's a different story. I am faster and stronger than average bloodsuckers.

Vampires are ice cold and their skin is harder and smoother than granite. They are dead, lifeless creatures, which mean they don't have a heartbeat, don't bleed, don't sleep, and don't even need to breathe. I, on the other hand, am alive. I need to breathe, need to sleep, and have a heartbeat. I bleed as well but heal quickly. Cuts heal within hours and broken bones within a couple days. My body temperature is warmer than humans, running at about 104 degrees. I also eat real food. I don't hunt humans like myths say. I think the damn vampires perpetuated that lie to instill more fear and hatred to our species. But I do need to hunt in wolf form on the full moon. It's an urge I can't ignore. It also helps make the mandatory shift a bit easier to handle if I hunt in between cycles. Otherwise, I become more irritant, weak, and tired till I hunt. And trust me, it's better to keep up your strength during the mandatory shift.

Mike joined up with me and ran with me. To fuck with him, I ran at a faster pace than what would have been considered a comfortable pace for him.

"Wow, you run pretty fast, huh?" Mike said sounding a little winded.

"Would you like me to slow it down for you?" I smirked.

"No. No, I was just noticing that's all," he said trying to play it off. The whistle blew and the students went to line up at the water fountain. Mike excused himself to get a drink. When he turned his back to me, I saw that his shirt was starting to get covered in sweat. _Boys. So predictable when it comes to their pride and egos. Always refusing to not be shown up by a girl_.

Coach Clapp gathered us outside to the football field and dumped a bag of yellow and red flags in the center of it.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, today we're going to be playing flag football. Now, is there anyone here that doesn't know the basic rules to the game? No? Ok good. Here are some of my rules that are going to be added. There will be no flag guarding. You do not need to touch your flags for any reason while the ball is in play. Each touchdown is a point and there will be no kickoff returns. You will simply bring the ball back to the center field and change possessions. Oh, and guys, the girls must play. So I better see you passing the ball to the girls every once in a while or I will penalize you for it. Everyone got it?" I looked around at that last part and it seemed as if some of the girls were more disappointed in the last rule more than the guys were. "Alright, good. Newton and big Cullen, you're the team captains. I want you to choose your team girl, boy, girl, boy. Mike, you go first."

"Bella," Mike called me out first. _Gee, didn't see that one coming._

"Alice," Emmett called. I grinned internally. Never thought I'd see the day I would be excited to play against vampires in a game of flag football.

The teams were soon divided up evenly, and the game began. At the start, of course, the guys were hesitant to throw me the ball. Hell, the ball was thrown more at some of the other girls more than I was even thought of. I noticed on the other team that no one had any problem throwing the ball to either of the Cullens, especially the little pixie. With her size and speed, she was dodging every which way the opposing team was coming at her. Every time I would start to go after her, my own fucking teammates were getting in my way, thinking that I wouldn't catch up to her myself.

About half way through the game, we were losing 5-2, and I was getting pissed. My competitiveness was driving me crazy. Finally, I saw Mike, who was our unofficial quarterback, starting to throw the ball at a guy who was being guarded heavily. Irritated, I ran a few feet in front of the guy and jumped up and caught the ball. I know I shouldn't have done that against my own team, but I was too beyond aggravated to care. I ran towards the other end of our field, zigzagging through the line of defenders. Coming at me from the side, right as I was reaching the endzone, I saw Alice. I smirked. _Bring it on, midget vamp_. Right as I saw her hand get within inches of pulling my flag, I spun around, leaving it just out of her reach right in time to make a touchdown. My team ran up to me and gave me high-fives, saying stuff like, "Good job!" and "That was fucking awesome". I even heard one dumbass say, "That was hot. I'm in love". _Morons, gonna give me the ball now?_

I looked back at Alice, and she had an eyebrow raised in amusement with a smile playing at the corner of her lips. I couldn't help but smile a very cocky grin at her. She responded with a small giggle and sticking her tongue out at me. I felt a chill run up my spine at the action but I didn't understand why. "Guess I should throw you the ball more often?" Mike put his arm around me while making our way back to the center of the field. "Ya think," I said raising my eyebrow at him.

The last half of the game, as predicted, I was given the ball more. To make my athletic prowess less noticeable though, I let the humans catch me every now and then. On the other hand, I never _let_ the Cullens catch me, forcing them to get a little frustrated with me and use their inhuman-like speeds a bit. Emmett was easier to get that side of him out than his "sister", but she eventually did the same. Sometimes they would catch me, as I would sometimes catch them. It became a game for me and strangely, I was enjoying the innocence of it all. My team ended up winning 8-7 and I could tell the giant vampire wasn't too pleased by it. I wondered if his team always won these little gym games.

"Beginner's luck, new girl," Emmett said in a mock pout. I only chuckled, amused at his childlike behavior.

On the walk back to the locker rooms, however, I began kicking myself for my ostentatious behavior. _What the hell was I thinking? Getting myself to be the center of attention like that? Fuck! How old am I to let myself get caught up like that in a stupid game? I know better than to act like that in front of the damn vampires._ In the locker room, I smelled Alice approaching me from the back.

"That was a really good game. You're really quick," she smiled. _Shit. Of course, she would notice_.

"Yea, I used to play a lot of different sports back in Phoenix," I lied. If I played on an organized sports team, my competitiveness would get the best of me…like it did today.

"Which ones?" _which sports require a lot of agility?_ "Uh I played a little bit of basketball outside of school with friends, but I played soccer and ran cross-country for the high school," I smirked at the last one.

"Are you gonna join any of the sports here?" she questioned.

"No, I'm not. I was known as the jock at my other high school, and I see moving here as a chance to reinvent myself you know?" I shock myself with how easily bullshit comes out of my mouth. I took off my shirt to start getting dressed as I was waiting for Alice's reply. A few moments went by, and I still didn't hear a peep from her so I decided to turn around. Her eyes turned black and were glued to my chest and torso area. I knew enough about vampires to know that when their eyes turned black, they were hungry. I was half expecting my wolf to want to come out but all it did was growl at the way she was looking at me…but not in a threatening manner. I didn't understand. "Alice?" I said cautiously as I pulled another shirt on. She seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in and started to undress. Hesitantly, I turned, giving her the privacy she needed and by the time I turned back around, Alice was already pulling on her backpack.

"I gotta go Bella; see you later," Alice walked off.

_The way she was looking at me I thought she was going to attack me. I gotta take out these vampires before I die of paranoia. Tonight, I go find out where they live._


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After school let out, I rode the bus back home and decided it would be the last time I took the bus anywhere. As soon as I put my stuff down in the house, I skimmed through the yellowpages on my phone to find a place to buy some sort of vehicle. One name caught my eye and I grinned widely. _"Uley's Sleek Cycles and Gear". Hmm. I haven't owned a motorcycle in a long time…_

I mapped out the location and studied it for a few moments. The address was on La Push reservation. My mind immediately remembered one of the vampires mentioning "dogs on the rez". I looked at the hours of operation for the shop, and it said it was open till 8:30 PM. The time right now said 4:15. _Think I could squeeze in less than four hours of digging?_

I didn't want to ride a motorcycle around everywhere trying to figure out where the Cullens lived. Bikes make too much noise. I'd rather be quiet and discreet as possible, and I have no idea what I'm looking for in terms of "dogs on the rez" but something tells me it's more than your average canine.

I decided to go running around first before picking up the motorcycle. I could be quiet when I wanted to be, and my wolf would enjoy me doing some sort of physical activity. I pulled on some black pants and a sleeveless, charcoal shirt. I grabbed my iPod, a water bottle, my wallet, phone, and keys, stuffed them into a backpack and stepped outside. I figured I should run around the perimeter of town to see if I could catch a scent. I doubt the vamps were living in downtown Forks. Like me, they probably want some privacy and have a place out in the woods somewhere. I pushed shuffle on my iPod and "Papercut" by Linkin Park came on. Grinning at the song selection, I shoved the device inside my pocket. I inhaled the crisp air and started running.

It wasn't until an hour later that I finally caught that sickening sweet scent. Following the trail, it got stronger. I turned off my iPod and stuck it in my bag. I didn't want the bloodsuckers to hear Metallica playing and come investigating. I ran forward about a hundred more yards before I started to hear voices. I stealthily walked another 200 yards or so before a giant three-story house came into view.

It was a faded white color and covered in tall windows with a huge porch wrapping around the front of it. The house itself looked to be well over a hundred years old. _Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if they built the damn thing themselves over a hundred years ago_. I heard a couple different conversations going on inside but one voice in particular grabbed my attention.

"I'm not hiding anything! Maybe I just want some privacy for once!" snapped the little musical voice I've come to know as Alice's. "Between you reading my thoughts and Jasper analyzing my every feeling, it's impossible to have a private moment!" _Yeah, that would get annoying._

"I heard Jasper's thoughts. You were feeling flustered and turned on. It bothered him so much that those feeling weren't from him that he went out hunting in the forest alone!" I heard Edward snap back while I swiftly moved to the south end of the house…which was entirely made up of glass. _Hunting in the forest? For what? Unsuspecting hikers?_

I kept low to the ground and hid behind the bushes and trees. I was careful not to make any noise, using the same tactics I would use if I was hunting. But then again, I guess in a way, I was. I saw Edward and Alice standing on opposite sides of a room on the top floor. I assumed it was her room.

"And since then, Alice, you haven't stopped translating scenes from 'The Devil Wears Prada' to Arabic!" yelled Sex Hair. I had to bite my lip hard to keep from laughing. _I could've guessed Shortie would like that movie._ _She seems to be into all that fashion crap._

Alice sighed heavily and walked over to the window. I ceased all movement, though I knew I was well hidden from her view. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood there staring out at the forest…but at the same time, not focusing on it at all. She looked confused, irritated, and focused all at the same time. _But I'm willing to bet she's probably just concentrating on keeping that mind reader out of her head_. I wanted to go over there and wrap my arms around her to… _what? What in the hell am I thinking? Go hug her? I'm losing it._

"This is none of your business, Edward," she stated simply, clenching her jaw. _Nosy bastard. …though it's ironic that I say that when I'm eavesdropping on their conversation…_

"Tell me what the hell is going on, Alice," he seethed and grabbed her arm, spinning her around forcefully. I growled.

I fucking growled.

Of course they heard me and both their heads shot in my direction. I didn't move a muscle or even chance breathing. After a moment, Alice took advantage of the disturbance to get out of Edward's grasp and she left the room quickly. Edward scowled and followed her out. I took the chance and got out of there as fast as I could.

 _What the hell is wrong with me? Growling? Am I that stupid?_ I kept on mentally cursing myself until I finally realized just what I was growling at. _I growled because he grabbed her…hard? Why should I care how one vampire should treat another? Maybe it was just because it was essentially a male harming or potentially harming a female. Maybe that's it. Yeah, that's what it was. A male should never lay an unwanted hand on a female ever…no matter what the species. Prick. Still I can't believe I almost blew my cover by growling. Way to go._ I hadn't ever blown my cover like that before, and I was definitely kicking myself for it.

I came up to a small river about fifty feet across or so. I stood at the edge of the water closing my eyes trying to calm myself with the sound of the rushing water. I focused on widening all my other senses just to distract myself from the major error that I had just committed. I walked up the edge of the river a few hundred yards when I was met with another sound. Hoof beats.

I breathed in deeply through my nose and caught the scent of deer about a quarter mile away…but then a sweet scent suddenly mixed with the deer smell. I jumped up on a tree and began climbing quickly and quietly to see if I could get an aerial view of sorts without getting any closer.

When I got pretty high up, I look down in the direction of the smell. In the distance, I spotted three deer scattered on the forest floor, but no vampire. I waited a few moments before leaping off the branch I was clinging to and free falling to the forest floor. Hitting the ground with the balls of my feet, I landed with a muffled thud. I carefully walked in the direction of the carcasses with my senses in full alert in case the vamp was still nearby. 

Once I came upon them, I noticed that each of their necks was snapped. I crouched down and examined a small wound on the jugular. I traced my fingers around it. _A bite mark?_ I recalled Edward saying that Jasper was out hunting in the woods…though I wasn't expecting elk.

_Well that would explain why the Cullens have such discipline when dealing with the humans. It could also possibly explain their eye color as well. But why is this coven hunting animals? Could it be possible that they are trying to live their lives peacefully?_

I stood up and ran my hand through my hair. It was something I had never seen before which meant the Cullens were a new kind of enemy. They were unprecedented, at least in my experience and to me that made them more dangerous since I didn't know what to expect. Traditional or not, the Cullens were still vampires and I would have to tread with caution.

Leaving the carcasses behind, I started running back toward the river, but instead of stopping at the edge, I leaped into the air and landed on the other side. A few moments later, I was hit with the same strong musky odor I smelt the first time I arrived in Forks, only this time it was stronger. It reminded me of a repugnant wet dog smell.

_Wait… "dogs on the rez". Is this what that blonde one was talking about?_

I pulled my phone out of my backpack and with the little signal I had I GPSed my location. _Yup. I'm on the outskirts of the Quileute reservation._ I continued on running in the general direction of the bike shop because no matter in what direction I headed, this whole side of the forest smelled the same. It threw me off because I smelt at least six or seven slightly different musky scents…maybe more. I was unsure of what I was looking but I had obviously stumbled upon their "territory" of sorts.

Finally, I caught a small break. A small clump of fur snagged on the bark of a tree, and when I held it up to my nose, it matched one of the scents. I examined it for a bit. It was thick, long, and was a darker silver color. It kinda reminded me of my own fur…only a little more course. I glanced around the spot I found the fur for any more clues when I felt my right foot back into a hole…at least I thought that's what it was.

I inspected the "hole" a bit more closely, and I realized it was a large paw print that had hardened in mud. I knelt down and placed my hand in the paw print. It was about four to five times bigger than my hand and twice as big as the tracks my hind feet would make in my wolf form. _These are definitely wolf tracks. But judging by the size of these tracks, this wolf has to be about the size of a horse…at least_. I contemplated it for a moment. Then one word flashed in my mind: shifters.

I had come across shifters only twice in my entire existence. Both times were different kinds of animals. The first one was a lion shifter in 1604 down in South Africa and the second was a panther in 1861 in Brazil. I learned two crucial things about shifters in those encounters: 1) they were extremely territorial and 2) they had one hell of a temper. Both times, I almost got into fights with them because of their damn tempers.

_Great. Now I gotta deal with what I'm guessing is a "pack" of wolf shifters and a huge coven of vampires. Forks, Washington = Supernatural Sanctuary. I'm going to have to try and keep under the radar of the shifters as well._

I stood up and reached into my backpack to pull out my phone again. _6:45. I should probably start heading to the bike shop_. I pulled on my backpack once more and ran rather quickly toward the shop…at least till I got out of the woods.

* * *

 

Finally, I arrived at Uley's and walked in. I was greeted by a beautiful sight. Ducati's, Harleys, Kawasaki's, BMWs, and Suzuki's filled the shop. On the walls and on clothes racks were jackets, helmets, gloves. You name it, they had it. I'm not the type of person to shop around and compare. I know I should be but I'm not. When I walk into a store I like to get the first thing that catches my eye. I've tried to shop around before but I've always come back to my first choice. And right now, I was eyeing a 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 650r. It had a custom black finish with blood red tribal designs etched on the sides. Normally, I didn't go for tribal but I couldn't deny how perfect it looked on this machine. I skimmed my fingers over the gears and I could feel my inner wolf growling with excitement.

"Can I help you?" a gruff voice calls out. I look up to see a tall guy standing about 6'6 or 6'7 in height with russet-colored skin, and short black hair wearing a red shirt that had "Uley's" written over his left pec just above a name tag that read "Jacob". He was a fairly good-looking guy and caught my attention right away. Not because he was good-looking, but because he had a strong musky odor to him. He was a shifter. "My name is Jacob Black. Do you have any questions about anything?"

"Bella," I smiled at him. " And yea, I wanted to buy this bike,"

"This one?" he pointed to it. "Present for your boyfriend?" Typical male. Can't fathom that I'm actually buying it for myself. It has to be for another guy.

"No, it's for me," I plainly stated.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" asks another guy in a uniform. He was a bit shorter than Jacob with short, dark brown hair. His scent was exactly the same as scent on the patch of fur I found in the woods. His name tag read "Paul". "Do you want me to teach you how to ride it?" he said with a smirk.

"I'm sure I can manage just fine. Thank you," I answered him pointedly. _Probably better than you_.

"Ok, well we can set up the paperwork for you so we can make a payment schedule..." Jacob started, probably sensing my irritation.

"No need," I interrupted. "I can pay it in full right now." Jacob and Paul shot each other a look before leading me to the cashier's desk to fill out some forms.

"You new around here?" asked Jacob as I started filling out information.

"Yea, I am actually. I just started at Forks High today."

"Like it so far?"

"Yea, it's alright I guess. The people here are really nice and the classmates were helpful today."

"Oh yea? Like who? Maybe I know them," he pressed. _Hmm maybe you know the vampires?_

I started naming off names nonchalantly. "Angela Weber, Mike Newton, Jessica Stanley,…Edward Cullen." In all actuality, Alice was the first Cullen to pop in my mind but for some reason I didn't want to mention her name to him. Either way, the Cullen's name I chose to give, gave me the exact response I wanted. At the mere mention of Edward's name, Jacob's body seized up, and I could pick up a low pitched growl rumbling in his chest. _Bingo_. It took all I had to hold back a knowing smirk.

"Weber is nice, Newton is full of himself, but I guess Stanley is too. As for Cullen, just be careful with them. I'd stay away from the whole family if I were you," he said to me in a grave tone. _Guess the shifters and the leeches hold ill feelings toward one another. Not a big surprise considering how territorial shifters are_.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." As soon as I was done filling out the paperwork, I went around the shop and picked out a black jacket, a pair of gloves and a red-and-black helmet that matched the bike perfectly. The owner, Sam Uley came out to help Jacob out with the sale. He was huge and a bit older than the other two, but I concluded he was a shifter as well. Probably the Alpha of the pack…if not second in command. I paid everything with my credit card before Jacob handed me the keys to my new motorcycle.

"Hopefully, I'll see you around Bella," he said with a small crooked smile.

"You probably will. It's a small town," I pointed out. I wheeled it outside before mounting it and putting the key in the ignition. I turned it on and it purred loudly underneath me while my wolf purred in unison with it inside of me. I pulled on my new gear and helmet and took off like hell for home. I made it back to the house in no time. I showered quickly and threw on a pair of basketball shorts and a black undershirt before climbing into bed. My eyes grew heavy as images of the day flashed through my head. The last image to come to mind before sleep took me was of Alice Cullen.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_My mother cupped my face in her hands and wiped away a single tear from my cheek. I was scared, and from the look in her eyes, she was scared too._

_"I want you to run. Do you understand me? Run far away from this place. Run until you feel you are safe. Use your instincts," my mother spoke to me in an urgent whisper._

_"No, come with me please!" another tear ran down my cheek._

_"Do not disobey me, Isabella. Go now. And don't stop or turn back no matter what you hear. I love you, my little one," she kissed my forehead before turning me around. "Go!"_

_I ran into the woods without turning back. I ran as fast as I could. A few moments later, I heard a blood-curling howl, followed by a woman's scream…my mother's scream. I stopped and was about to turn back but then my mother's voice rang in my head. "Run! Don't stop 'til you're safe!" So I ran._

_Suddenly, I was older, and I was still running. Hard and fast. Towards what, I wasn't sure but I felt the overwhelming need to get there now. I was zipping in between the trees of the forest at top speed. By this time, my breathing was heavily labored and my heart was pounding in my chest. My muscles were aching; my lungs burning. I had never been this exhausted from running before. Through the darkness of the trees, I saw a light. A clearing perhaps? I urged my legs to push harder and within seconds, I burst through the line of trees into a large meadow._

_Beautiful wild flowers sprouted up from the ground everywhere but it wasn't their beauty that captivated my attention. There in the center of the clearing, stood a striking creature that made all the natural beauty around her pale in comparison. The second my eyes locked with hers, I stopped all of my movements. My breath caught and my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. I was at a loss for words. At that moment, I knew that all of my running was to get me here. To her. She then broke into a knowing smile, a dazzling smile, and giggled, making my heart melt._

_"There you are. You kept me waiting long enough," she spoke in an angelic voice._

_I managed to spit out one word, a name: "Alice."_

*Beep beep beep…* my alarm clocked screamed, waking me from my sleep. I slammed my hand down on the off button. I rubbed my eyes, yawned, and stretched out my stiff muscles. Running my fingers through my hair, I thought back to my dream. I couldn't remember it very well. _Strange. I usually remember my dreams pretty well_. I could only recall bits and pieces. Like my mother telling me to run… I was constantly dreaming about the night my family was taken from me. The night I became alone.

I yawned once more before pulling myself out of bed. Such a difficult task to get up in the morning. Sometimes I feel like my bed has arms and refuses to let me go. I gotta fight back today though. I can't just stay in bed… _School._ I grumbled internally.

I pulled on a pair of black Levi's, a charcoal button-up with a red undershirt and my black Vans. I untangled my long, thick, mane-like hair and pulled out my green contacts from the medicine cabinet. I put them in and groaned. I could see the minute scratches on the lenses. The green from the contacts muddled the natural green of my eyes slightly. I hated that. I scrambled half a dozen eggs and made hash browns from 3 potatoes for breakfast. Obviously my appetite is far greater than that of a human, especially when I don't hunt. When I eat around others, I have to force myself to get a "normal" sized portion. Feels like I'm just snacking.

After I finished rinsing the breakfast dishes, I brushed my teeth, grabbed my gear and headed to school, the entire way trying to remember the last part of my dream. I killed the engine and looked around at all the students gawking at me and my bike. I heard all the excited talking from guys and girls wondering who I was; from the guys: how nice of a bike it was; from the girls: hoping I was a hot guy. I took off my helmet and a great deal of talking started after that. "She just got hotter!" one idiot said and the girls pretended not to care. I looked across the parking lot and saw the vamps getting out of their silver Volvo. I debated on waiting for them but decided against it at the last moment and headed into the school, making my way toward my locker.

I shoved my backpack and helmet into my locker and grabbed my English notebook before getting slapped in the face with stench of too much cologne.

"Hey Bella, that's a nice bike you got out there," said Mike as he leaned up against the locker next to mine, wearing a sorry excuse for a sexy smirk. _That would explain the nasty smell. I don't know what he's thinking when he attempts to drown himself in that stuff in the morning_.

"Thanks, Mike," I replied trying to look preoccupied with anything I could find in my locker.

"Well do you really know how to handle that thing 'cause I could show you a thing or two sometime if you like?" I stopped my actions and gave him an incredulous look. He's probably never even been on one in his whole life.

"Really? You've driven a street bike before?"

"Psh, yea," _Lie_. "I've…I've driven them lots of times before," _Lie_. Thankfully, the bell rang signaling for class, sparing me.

"Mmm, well thanks anyway Mike but I think I'll do just fine without your uh 'expertise'," I said as I patted him on the back and walked to English.

"Hey Bella!" I turned to see Eric right as I was walking through the door.

"Hey Eric. How are you today?" I asked as we continued to the same seats we sat in yesterday. In the middle of his response, the blonde vamp walked in through the door. My beast's reactions were the same as yesterday's: body rigid, teeth sharpened. My eyes probably turned too but that wouldn't be noticeable anymore. _Contacts are good for something_. I took in a deep breath to calm myself so that a growl wouldn't slip out. That wouldn't be as easy to cover up again.

"Bella? Did you hear me?" Eric waved his hand in front of my face.

"Huh? What? No, I'm sorry. I spaced out for a second. What was the question?" I put my hand if front of my mouth slightly to cover my canines, as I waited for them to shrink back down.

"Your bike? When did you get it?" he repeated.

"Oh, I got it last night," I looked over at Jasper's back. "I got it in La Push, over at Uley's Bike Shop." The vamp's back got rigid as he froze for only a moment. "I met some of the guys there like Sam Uley and Jacob Black. They were pretty cool." Class started before I could push a little farther but I got the reaction I was hoping for.

During the whole class, Jasper never relaxed at all. _If he's trying to fit in with the rest of the student population, he's gonna have to move just a bit more than a boulder_. Then, in the last few moments of the lecture, Jasper starts fidgeting in his seat. It's about time he realized how unnatural it looks to sit that incredibly still. The bell rang and he took his time gathering his things. A lot slower than yesterday.

"So Bella, you have Government next, right? Mind if I walk with you? I have class that way," Eric shoves all his things in his bag. I nod at him, focusing on my peripherals on the vampire's movements. Something about him makes me feel uneasy. As I gather my things and walk toward the door, Jasper makes a move toward the door as well, bumping into me in the process. My muscles tense and eyes widen instantly from the contact.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm sorry. I should have been paying more attention," he says with a slight southern drawl and gives me a stiff smile.

"No, the fault is mine. I apologize," I muttered, barely moving my lips to hide my, once again, elongated canines. I hear him take an unnecessary breath through his nose. _Son of a bitch is analyzing my scent_.

"Well excuse me. I need to get to class," I dismiss myself, turning my back to him, something I cannot stand doing.

"I'm Jasper, by the way," he says to my back. I look over my shoulder to see the blonde vamp still standing in the same position with cold eyes staring at me.

"Bella," I nod and continue out of the classroom with Eric waiting at the doorway. I didn't care how rude it seemed. I needed out of there. _That vampire puts me way too much on edge_.

For the next few classes, I had to focus to calm down. My mind kept going back to Jasper and his actions in the first class. _I know he deliberately moved in front of me. And he was smelling me, analyzing my scent. But why? Whatever his reasons, I'm going to have to keep my eyes on him and be more cautious around him_.

Lunch came around finally and the Cullens, of course, sat in the same spot as yesterday. It seems this school is all about routine. Jessica was busy flirting with Mike, and Mike was either a) too stupid to realize her advances or b) not interested, and seeing how much of a horn dog that guy is, I'm gonna go with the former. Angela was talking to Eric, and it was easy to see with the way that she looked at him that she liked him. I wonder if he knew that. I know Eric is more intelligent than Mike but he is, in fact, a guy, and all guys are pretty much clueless when it comes to the female brain.

"You were right about one thing Rosalie: Bella's scent is weak," I overheard someone say. Based on the lower volume level, I knew immediately who it was and it took me a second to realize that whipping my head around was probably not the best idea. "I bumped into her in class and I could barely smell her. Her scent is very faint. It's strange. And her reaction to me was as if she was revolted by me." _Fuck. Seriously, I've only been here two days, and I already have the vamps sniffing on my tail. I've never had problems like this before. But then again, before, if they started to suspect anything, I'd take them out immediately. I can't do that here, and it's frustrating…and dangerous._

"Don't all humans have that natural instinct to stay away from us?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, but not to this extent. She doesn't appear to be interested in us at all," Jasper explained.

"Jasper's right. I was talking to her yesterday, and it seemed forced on her part," I heard Edward say. _Ugh, damn observant, yellow-eyed leeches. Really? Because I'm not friendly towards them, they think something is up?_

"She didn't seem that way with me. Her friendly demeanor seemed actually genuine," said the musical voice. _Thank you, Alice!_

"It's hard for anyone to be mean toward you, darling," Jasper said. My jaw clenched at his sweet talk with her. _Why is that?_

"Oh and guess where she bought the bike? In La Push, at Sam Uley's shop."

"Did she speak with them at all?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know. Just enough to say 'they were pretty cool'," Jasper recalled. "But that could mean nothing."

"Whatever. Look something about her isn't right. I think it's worth looking into," Rosalie said in a harsh tone. "One of us needs to get close to her and do some poking around." _That should be interesting_.

"I'll do it," Edward spoke up. I groaned internally. I didn't like the idea of any of them trying to "get close to me" but I'd have a really hard time faking a friendship with him. I already wanted to rip his arms out of his sockets yesterday and I barely interacted with him at all.

"No, I think Alice should do it," Rosalie interjected.

"No, absolutely not. What if she's dangerous?" Jasper argued. "Let Edward do it." _Way to throw your 'brother' in harm's way._

"I can take care of myself. Plus, I really don't think she'll hurt me," Alice spoke up. _I wouldn't be too sure about that…_

"Jasper, Bella's already reacted negatively toward Edward. I think she'd be more put out if Edward continues to pursue her. Alice said she was already not a complete bitch with her so I think out of all of us, she has the best shot." Jasper growled probably knowing he was defeated in that logic.

"Don't worry, Jas. I kinda want to get to know her. She seems fun. There's probably nothing dangerous about her at all, anyway," chimed Alice. _That couldn't be the furthest from the truth_.

"Alice, you can't look at it like that. You have to actually try to dig—"

"I know, Rose. I will," she sounded slightly annoyed.

"Bella, the Cullens are looking at you, again," Jessica brought my attention back to the table. I turned around to look at them, and they were all looking at me with small, forced smiles…except Alice. Of course, she had the biggest grin on her face and even waved. I couldn't stop the smile that had formed on my lips and I gave a tiny wave back. I noticed Edward look away from me to Jasper for a moment, give him a small nod, before turning back to me to give me his crooked smile. Hmm, that's odd. What did Jasper and Edward just share with each other and not the table? Edward's the mind reader isn't he? I know that Jasper just told him something. I gave a small, curt nod before returning my attention back to my food or at least seeming like that. "How did you grab the attention of the Cullens already?" Jessica demanded.

"I don't know," _If I knew, I would undo it if I could. Their attention is not something I want_. "I have class with them, though."

"We all have classes with them. What makes you so special?" Jessica spat harshly. _Don't be so jealous, honey. I'd rather have gone unnoticed_.

"No, it's true. Jasper even introduced himself during first period," Eric spoke up.

"Jasper? The quiet one?" now even Angela was intrigued. "Yea—" Eric started to explain but I spaced out again.

_If the Cullens want to start investigating me, fine. I'll start acting friendly…ish toward them. And if little Alice is going to do some poking around, go for it. I'll be her best friend, if need be…just long enough to get this coven off my back._


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

After lunch, I walked into my Biology class and took a seat. Edward still hadn't shown up so I took a few moments to mentally prepare. _I wonder how much good that's actually gonna do._

I hear a pencil fall to the floor just behind me, and I look down just in time to see it roll up next to my feet. As I am reaching down to get it, a stench assaults my nose that's so sweet, it could make even cotton candy seem bitter. I turn around to give the girl (whose name escapes me) back her pencil, and I hear a cold voice. "Hello, Bella." The hair on the back of my neck stands straight up at the sound of his voice; my wolf internally snarling at him from the memory of yesterday.

"Edward," I say flatly without even looking in his direction.

"How are you, today?"

"Just fine," I don't bother to reciprocate the question in hopes that he ends the conversation.

"I saw you pull in with your bike this morning," _Empty hopes, apparently._ "Is it new or did you bring it from Phoenix?"

"It's new," _Go. Away._

"Where did you get it?" _Breathe, Bella. You said you were gonna play nice._

"At Uley's over on the reservation," I paused for a moment, debating if I was gonna continue. _Screw it._ "The guys there were pretty cool, although they did tell me to stay away from you and your family. Any idea why?" _At least I said more than two words to him. That could be considered "trying harder"._

Edward clenched his jaw bit and swallowed, what I assumed was venom, pooling in his mouth before shaking his head. "I can't give you any real reason," _Figures._ "They've been prejudice against my family and I since we arrived here." Before I could give any response, Mr. Banner started lecturing.

_I wonder how long the shifters have known about the Cullens…well I guess that would be pretty obvious after the first time they met each other. They both stink so bad. But why do they stay away from each other? I would at least think that the shifters would have tried to take out the Cullens. I only met three of them, and they are just filled with testosterone. I don't see either of these groups wanting to willingly tolerate the other. What's the cause?_

For the entire class period, my wolf growled with its teeth bared. The hair on the back of my neck stood up the whole hour, my wolf never letting its guard down. Even when the bell rang, my limbs were frozen in place, refusing to leave class before him. _This is going to be a long school year._

* * *

I walked into the locker room for gym, and Alice was already dressed. I frowned a bit, with really no reason. "Hey, Bella! I'll see you out there, ok?" she flashed me a big smile and headed out. _Umm, ok? Wasn't she the one that was supposed to dig and try and spend time with me?_

Upon entering the gym, Alice immediately appeared by my side. "So how were your classes today, Bella? Getting the hang of this school, yet?"

"Uh, yeah, it's fine. Nothing I can't handle." The whistle blew, signaling the start of the warm-up run around the gym. I figured I'd keep the same pace as yesterday, but I knew that wouldn't shake Alice like it did Mike. She stayed glued to my side, which magically didn't bother me. _Speaking of Mike though…_ I looked across the gym, and I could see him staring at me as if he was too hesitant to come over. _What? I know humans have a natural instinct to stay out of harm's way, but is he really that intimidated by the pipsqueak?_

All of a sudden, I was flanked by "Big Cullen" as Coach Clapp called him. _Whoa. This guy is huge._ I didn't really notice yesterday, but now that he was running right beside me, I was able to measure him up a bit. He looked like he was almost a foot taller than me.

"Hey, new girl," he flashed a dimpled smile. "You owe me a rematch after yesterday's game."

"It was my team that beat you, not just me," I grinned.

"Yeah, but they were losing before they started passing the ball to you. Hair grow, you're the one I want a rematch from."

"I think you mean 'ergo', Big Cullen," Alice and I laughed. Running between two vampires should make me very edgy, but I felt surprisingly relaxed between them both.

"You say tomato, I say potato, new girl," I rolled my eyes. Coach Clapp blew the whistle again and called everyone to the center of the court. "I'm Emmett."

"Bella," I answered. He bent down and looked at me straight in the eye.

"Remember, Bella. You. Me. Rematch." I just laughed and nodded. _If only I could give him a real rematch. No holds barred. That'd be something to see._

"You'll have to excuse my brother. He's a child trapped in a man's body," Alice smiled.

"So I noticed."

Today, we had to play volleyball. There were 3 courts which the coach split us up into. Alice and I ended up on the same team while Emmett was on a different court entirely. I was internally grateful. _At least now I don't have any temptations to show off._

My teammates including Alice kept feeding me the ball at first, probably thinking that my show of athletic prowess yesterday would translate to volleyball too. Normally, that would be a safe assumption, but not today. _Especially when I can see the giant vamp watching me from across the gym._ So today, I sucked. I missed the ball a couple of times, and when I served, I wouldn't make it over the net. Yeah, I laid it on thick. Not too thick to where it was obvious but good enough. I tried to look like I was actively trying but timid about it at the same time. _Not easy._

I casually turned to look at both the Cullens during the water break. Their mouths were barely moving but I could hear them talking under their breaths.

"Wow, she really sucks today. It's a good thing the rematch wasn't in volleyball. Would have been an easy win. You don't think she's faking it, do you?" asked Emmett. _What do I have to do to get them off my back?_

"Maybe she's just not good at volleyball," suggested Alice. "I don't think there's anything wrong with her."

"That's 'cause you like her, huh?" he wagged his eyebrows. She shot him a look.

"I think she's human," Alice walked back her place on the court looking a little irked. Next thing, I know I was walking over to her.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked. She looked at me and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My brother just likes to tease me."

"What was he teasing you about? Your height? 'Cause that's not teasing, Alice, it's being truthful," I grinned. She tried to glare at me, but I could see the corners of her mouth turning up a bit.

"Very funny," I chuckled.

The rest of the class was going pretty smooth. I continued my antics, but not as often seeing as now my teammates wouldn't pass me the ball. _Perfect._ The same couldn't be said for Alice, though. She was still the go-to girl on my team. She would hit the ball in the perfect spots every time. I couldn't help but stare at the way she would move around. Alice had a grace that I had never seen before. She moved as if she was gliding, never really touching the ground. _Wow…she's so beautiful._

"Heads up!" I heard someone call out to me. My eyes snapped up and I saw the volleyball coming down just out of reach. Without even thinking, I dove for it, hitting it back over the net and scoring a point. _YES!..Wait...no...Shit!_

Alice walked over, held out her hand, and helped me up. "Whoa, your hand is really hot. Are you okay?" _Damnit. Uhh…_

"I was about to say the same thing about yours. It's as cold as ice," I answered.

"Poor circulation," she answered almost automatically. I had to stop a laugh. _I guess that really isn't lying, though 'no circulation' would be more accurate._

"Well I guess I have the opposite, then. You aren't the first person to mention it." _There, I didn't lie either._

Coach Clapp blew the whistle signaling the end of class. _Thank God._ Alice and I started heading to the locker room before Emmett caught up with us.

"I saw that last shot. It was pretty sweet," Emmett said.

"Thanks. Had to make up for the rest of the game, but I'd be lying if I said I meant to do that," _I really didn't. Ugh._ "Volleyball's not really my sport."

"Yeah, we could tell," Alice spoke up as her and I walked into the locker room. Emmett kept walking to the guy's locker room, his laughter echoing through the hall.

Alice turned her back to me and immediately, started getting dressed. She lifted her shirt over her head; her bare back exposed itself to me. My wolf growled again, the same as yesterday. Confused by its response, I tore my eyes away and got dressed.

"So Bella, I was wondering if you would want to hang out some time. Since you're new here, I could show you around, maybe?" _Here's your chance to befriend the vamp…_

"There doesn't look like there's much to show me around here," I teased. "But sure, if you're so desperate for my company, what did you have in mind?"

"I'm not desperate for your company! I'm just trying to be nice. You should try it some time," I laughed.

"Maybe. No promises. But what did you want to do?"

"Hmm, let's see we could go to a movie, have dinner, or...NO!" Alice's eyes suddenly lit up. _Uh oh._ "We could go shopping!" _Oh crap._

"Are you serious? Is there even enough places to shop around here?" _Nope, there can't be. Please, let there not be._

"Well no," _YES!_ "But there is a mall in Seattle," _Damn._

"You want to go all the way to Seattle? Just to go shopping? I don't know."

"Pleaseeeee," Alice begged, pouting her lower lip. My wolf whined at the sight, urging me to say yes. _What is with you lately?_

"Ok, ok," I agreed. _My wolf must be going soft._

"Yay! How's Saturday morning? 9 o'clock?"

"Wait, first, you're making me go shopping, then you're gonna make me wake up early on a Saturday morning?"

"9am isn't early! Fine, ten?" I rolled my eyes. Still earlier than I would like.

"Ok," I agreed. Alice smiled widely. I couldn't help but return it.

"Great! See you tomorrow!" and she walked out of the room.

_I can't believe I'm going shopping…and with a vampire. Something must be wrong with me. I just hope I don't slip up any more than I already have._


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 

The rest of the week went by pretty smoothly, all things considered. Jasper stayed away from me, and Edward continued to act like a persistent fly. Emmett also continued to act like an overgrown child in P.E., and Alice, well she was just Alice…and I was ok with that.

Saturday morning came along and my wolf was very antsy. I was up at the crack of dawn and I couldn't sit still for a single moment. I just passed it off as nerves. I was gonna spend all day with a vampire whose family was already suspicious of me. Well maybe not her, but her family was. _But then again, come to think of it, I never once heard Alice mention my high body temperature…but I guess she could have mentioned it in the privacy of their home...ugh BUT, not one of them have investigated that claim (if there ever was one)._

 _Wait…why am I defending her. She's a vampire, a bloodsucking corpse._ I've caught myself asking that a lot in the past week. _Maybe it was just the lack of hunting_. I hadn't hunted since I got here and I usually try and change at least once a week, even if it was only for an hour or so. My wolf hates to be confined. Regardless, I didn't want to take a chance with the apparent animal diet the coven was on. I don't wanna accidentally run into them.

 _Or it could be from a lack of sleep._ Every night since the first night, I had the same dream of myself running, and every day, I couldn't remember the end of it. I was able to piece enough together eventually, but what or whoever I encountered in the meadow was still a mystery to me. That part is just blank. And it's as frustrating as it is exhausting because I wake up still feeling the exertion of the run.

I heard a light knock on the door. _Right on time._ _Her scent still catches me off guard. I always expect to gag when I see her but it's the opposite_. I tried to get Alice to meet me somewhere else but she was adamant about letting her pick me up at my house. She wanted to see where I lived. But I couldn't tell if that was because she actually wanted to or her family wanted to, and the latter made me uneasy. As soon as I opened the door, Alice gave me a big smile.

"Good morning."

"Good morning," I answered. "Wow, you're here."

"What, did you not think I would show up?" she looked confused.

"No, it's not that. You just struck me as the fashionably late kind," I grinned.

Alice narrowed her eyes at me. "Ha. Ha. Are you gonna invite me in or what?" I stepped aside and extended my arm out as a silent invitation. She looked around my house without saying a word.

"What?" I didn't like feeling like I was being scrutinized. I mean I knew I was going to be but she could at least do a better job at hiding it. "I know you have something to say."

"It's nothing, just…your house is so empty," I glanced around the living room myself and shrugged. "Why? I mean you don't even have pictures up," I thought about my answer for a moment, still looking around. She was right. All I really added to the house was a couch, a small coffee table, and a dinner table. My bedroom wasn't much different: just a big bed and dresser. I didn't even really have lamps since the ceiling fans provided all the necessary lighting. I just moved so many times, and I've always been by myself that I never really felt the need to have very many possessions. Plus, I didn't have unlimited funds. Sure I had a decent amount, but that was mainly used for groceries and getting the necessities when I moved to a new place.

I started to dabble a bit in the stock market back in the 80s, mostly buying and selling stock over the years. I happened get really lucky early on, but I was still very careful. The Great Depression wasn't a fun time for anyone, myself included. I spent a lot of my time as a wolf then and made what little money I could selling the animals I caught. Anyway, point is, I saved a lot of money by not purchasing a vast amount of useless items...such as home decor. Whatever I bought, I made sure it was something I could resell when the time came to move on again.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't feel the need to bring anything from Phoenix." That's about as honest of an answer as I can give you.

"Not even pictures?"

"There wasn't anything left for me there. As far as pictures, I have them all up here," I tapped the side of my head. "The best memories I have couldn't have been captured by a camera." _Mostly because they weren't invented yet._

"That makes sense…in a really sad way. Regardless, you need to decorate. It's depressing and noncommittal."

"Noncommittal?"

"Yes, you're not fully committing to the move until you make it homey," Alice put her hands on her hips as if she meant business. _But I'm not committing to the move. I don't know how long I'll be here. Ugh._

"How am I supposed to make it homey?"

"Well, you could start putting in furniture," she waved her hand around to all the empty space.

"Hey, I have furniture!" I defended.

"One couch and a coffee table doesn't count."

"I have a dinner table," I shot back.

"With one chair. Seriously, that screams 'antisocial'." _That's the point._

"Hey, I'm going to the mall with you. That doesn't say 'antisocial' to me." _Although, I don't wanna go._

"Whatever, the point is that have to make this house more comfortable. I would be more than happy to help you buy some furniture…"

 _Aaand that's where it stops_. "No."

"Why not?"

"I barely know you, and I have my own money. I am perfectly capable of buying stuff for myself."

"Okay fine, but that'll be for another time. Today, we're going to the mall!" she clasped her hands together in delight. I just sighed deeply and nodded.

We headed out the door and sitting in my driveway was Alice's car: a bright yellow Porsche 911. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Whoa…I didn't picture this."

"What? My car? What did you expect?" Alice walked around to the driver's side.

"I don't know. I guess I was expecting more of a Mini Cooper or better yet, a smart car. You know, something more proportionate to your size," I grinned. _Yes. I do know how much of an ass I am_.

Alice glared daggers at me. "Do you wanna get smacked?" I burst into laughter before finally climbing in the passenger seat. Alice climbed in a few seconds later, still fuming.

"Aww c'mon. It was a joke. I like your size. I think it's cute."

_…I do?_

She glanced over at me for a second, trying to figure out if it was another jab before the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "Shut up."

* * *

 

Now, it's supposed to take roughly three and a half hours to get to Seattle from Forks…we got there in almost half that time. That's how much the woman was speeding. Was I nervous at first? Yes. Mostly because I didn't want to go to jail, but then, I remembered she could see the future. She probably knew where all the cops were. I didn't worry about an accident for mainly the same reason…that and her vampiric reflexes. Yeah, I was fine. The midget vamp and I didn't really talk about much. Mostly idle chit chat about whatever came up.

The mall was huge, and being that it was Saturday, it was packed. I normally liked to stay away from big crowds. They tend to smell bad, and they irritate me. I don't know how Alice enjoyed it so much, but I could tell that she did because as soon as we got out of the car, she had the biggest smile on her face. It was like watching a kid go to Disneyworld for the first time. Alice practically dragged me inside either because I was moving too slow or I was her reminder to move at a human-like speed. She pulled me into the first store she saw and as soon as she seemed to get over her excitement, the real questioning began.

"Tell me about Phoenix," _Ahh hell. I should have known it was coming._

"Well, what exactly do you wanna know?"

"I don't know. Were you born there?" I looked at Alice for a brief moment, debating if I was gonna tell her the truth…or at least some form of it. I was usually so clammed up about anything and everything about my past, not because of what I was, but because I didn't like to remember it. There was something about her, though, that made me want to open up, expose myself to her…and that was a dangerous feeling.

"No, actually I'm originally from Italy, but I moved to America when I was younger," I answered as she lead me into a Guess. I did my best to stifle a groan.

I was the type of girl to dress for comfort, not for style. Fashion was just too much work to keep up with. Besides, jeans have never gone out of style. Alice grinned and walked up to what I assumed was the first "promising" rack she saw. It seemed to distract her from our conversation...but only for a moment.

"So you went straight to Phoenix?"

"No, when I first came here, I lived in upstate New York," _or what is now upstate New York,_ "I eventually came to Phoenix after my parents died." She stopped flipping through the clothes to look at me from across the rack.

"I'm sorry. How did they die?"

"Umm...I don't really like to talk about it." I felt a sudden pain in my stomach. Truthfully, I really wasn't particularly fond of talking about them. "What's your story? I know you guys just moved here not too long ago too." _Please accept the change in subject. Please._

Alice smiled knowingly. "My family moved here from Alaska. My mother loves this area compared to the city and the hospital just happened to be hiring."

"Convenient. I thought you guys were all adopted though?"

"Sounds like someone's been listening to gossip."

"Have you seen who I sit next to at lunch? It's kinda hard not to pick up a few rumors here and there."

"Fair enough. Ooo look at this top! It's so cute!" I just rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help but notice how cute sh

e was. Alice ignored my reaction and continued. "And yes, we are all adopted. Edward, Emmett, and I were all adopted by Carlisle and Esme at the same time, and a few years later, Rosalie and Jasper joined the family too." "Wait, so none of you are actually related to each other? I heard Esme is like your aunt or something?"

"Oh, no. We aren't actually related. See, rumors do get outta hand."

"Ah. And Emmett and Rosalie are together right?"

"Yea," she paused for a moment and glanced down at a shirt, avoiding my gaze, "just like Jasper and I are together." My jaw clenched.

"Well, isn't that convenient," I mumbled almost bitterly.

"It's not about convenience. You can't choose who you love, Bella. Fate is what brings two people together."

"And what, you think that you and Jasper are fated to be together?" There was an involuntary edge to my voice. I looked at Alice straight in the eye, and for the first time, saw doubt flash across her face. She was usually quite a happy, confident person, but it looks as if I struck a nerve.

"I just know Jasper and I were fated to meet," her eyes cast down as she paused, "as far as anything else goes, I'm not so sure." Alice was upset. I felt a sudden need to make her feel better. Console her.

"It's okay not to be sure. Maybe you're just not supposed to know yet," I lifted her chin up slightly to get her to look at me. The touch of her cold skin jolted my senses and reminded me of just who exactly I was dealing with. "Besides, no one likes a know-it-all," she laughed and punched my arm playfully. It wasn't till she did that, that I noticed the small pile of tops draped over her arm. _When the hell did she get all those?_

"Are all those for you?!"

"Well, no. A few are, but I grabbed some I thought you should try. Something tells me you won't grab them on your own." An image of a huge closet filled with designer clothes popped into my head...and yet I was silling to bet that Alice's was still bigger than what I was imagining.

"Yeah, as you can tell, I'm not the biggest fan of fashion," I gestured to my own casual outfit of jeans and a tshirt.

"And to think I was beginning to like you," she shook her head and tisked.

"Hilarious."

* * *

 

The little one and I shopped around the mall for a few hours. Almost every store that we went into, she would purchase something. Me, I bought maybe a pair of jeans and a couple more shirts...but that's not counting on the stuff she INSISTED on buying for me. She would pull me over and put a shirt she liked against me, and I wouldn't be able to resist taking in her refreshing scent. My wolf would practically purr in delight at the smell.

One time, though, Alice got sucked into talking to one of the sales reps at a phone service kiosk. As she was turned away, a couple of guys walked by, and without even trying to hide it, started to check out and comment on her ass. My wolf became furious, and my fangs grew instantly. I had to try like hell not to bare them while holding back a threatening growl. The two men noted the dangerous look I was giving them and quickly moved on without another word or glance. I was left dumbfounded by my wolf's strong reaction.

My stomach gave out a monsterous growl. Alice cringed, "Oh, I guess it's lunchtime huh?"

"Yeah, maybe," I laughed.

"I'm sorry Bella. I always seem to loose track of time when I shop."

People stared as we made our way to the food court. I was accustomed to people staring, but they practically parted like the Red Sea when we walked by. I was impressed. I guess a vampire and a werewolf were too much for instinct to ignore...even if it was just human instinct.

I was starving. Not letting my wolf out had a lot of side effects that I was going to have to control. Excessive hunger was one of them. I practically shoveled the food into my mouth. I should have been more careful with the amount of food I was eating because a vampire was watching me, but I figured if she was going to point out that I was eating a lot, then I would point out how she wasn't eating a damn thing. She was just pushing and poking the salad around her plate with her fork. _It amazes me that she even makes the effort to appear human..._

I looked around at all the other people. Almost everyone was still staring at us. At least some had the decency to look away as soon as I caught them. Surprisingly, though, there wasn't a lot of conversation going on about us. Just the occasional comment about how many bags we had, how cute Alice's clothes were, and so on. It was so different from school. I guess it was because here, people didn't have a background story to exaggerate from.

"You ever get annoyed with all these people always staring?" I blurted out.

"Sometimes. I mostly just ignore them," she shrugged her little shoulders. I nodded in agreement. It was strange to able to identify with someone.

"I guess you're kinda used to it."

"Yeah, my family and I usually keep to ourselves and with all the gossip that goes on. That fuels the stares."

"About that, I heard it's unusual for you guys to talk to anyone outside of your group, yet I've personally met every one of you...with the exception of the blonde one with a permanent scowl on her face." Alice busted out in a musical laughter. "So why the sudden interest in me?" Alice looked like she was contemplating her answer for a moment.

"Well, I can't speak for the rest of my family, but as for me, I honestly don't know. There's something about you that pulls me to you, intrigues me. Something deeper than what's on the surface and I intend to figure it out." Alice took another faux sip of her water. I should have felt threatened or at least more guarded by her words, but I didn't. I couldn't deny that I felt the same or a similiar kind of pull that she described. There was something about this vampire...

"Well, can you do me a favor and let me know when you figure it out," I noticed the double meaning in my words. The little vampire nodded and smiled.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

My mother's scream jolted me awake in the middle of the night. My skin was glistening with my cold sweat in the moonlight. The clock read 3:45am. _Shit._ I focused on taking deep breaths in an attempt to slow my heart rate. My arm felt heavy as I lifted it to run my hand through my thick hair. The full moon's indicators were becoming more evident. It was only a couple of days away, and since I hadn't shifted in weeks, I knew it was going to be a nasty one.

I threw off my covers and walked over toward the front door. A fresh breeze caressed my body instantly. I walked out onto my wooden porch and threw my hands over my head in a long stretch. I closed my eyes and focused on relaxing each one of my muscles. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I caught a sweet scent. My eyes snapped open. Fangs sharpened; eyes glowing. A growl rumbled in my chest. _Vampire_.

I jumped off the porch and immediately started sniffing out the smell. The scent was older and whoever the source was, left a few hours ago. Obviously, it wasn't Alice, but whoever it was, walked around the perimeter of my house. The greatest concentration of the scent, though a small amount, was outside my bedroom window. My mind only registers one thing: _Edward_.

* * *

The next morning as I was getting my stuff out of my locker for my first class, Mike walked up and leaned on the locker next to mine. _Ugh why must he do this all the time?_ _Doesn't he have somewhere to be? I do not need this right now._ My irritability was through the roof. I ignored him and pretended to search for something in my locker, trying to will him away with my mind. It wasn't working.

He cleared his throat to get my attention. _Rude_. I continued to ignore him. He cleared his throat louder. _Nope. That's not how you will get my attention_.

"Uh, Bella?" he finally said. _There you go. I knew you at least had the mental capacity to formulate words_.

I turned my head, "Hello, Mike."

"Whoa, Bella, you look really tired." My eyes narrowed at him. _Thank you for implying that I look like shit._

"Did you need something?" my words, clipped.

"Oh, yeah!" he tried making his voice deeper and puffing out his chest a little.  _Oh God_. "I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me." I tried not to laugh out loud at the crooked smile he was giving me.

"Listen, Mike. I appreciate the offer; I really do, but no thank you."

"No, thank you? Why?" He continued to persist and it was really wearing on my already thin patience. "Why won't you go out with me?"

"I'm not interested."

"Why?" I gritted my teeth. "Am I not your type or something?"

"No! You're not! I am gay." Mike's eyes widened in shock, but slowly, the corners of his mouth turned up into a wide grin.

_Oh God. Don't say it._

"That's cool, baby. I'm into that. I don't mind sharing you," he put his hand on the small of my back. He took a step forward, closing the space between us…and leaned in for a kiss.

 _Patience gone_.

My hand immediately shot up and slammed into his chest, pushing him up against the locker. His shirt was balled up in hands, holding him in place. "Two things. One, do not call me baby. Ever. I am not, nor ever will be your baby. And, two, do not ever put your hands on me like that again. Do I make myself clear?" Every word was clipped and threatening. Mike had no choice but to nod silently. I let go of his shirt and made my way to class early…with every student in proximity staring. Including Alice.

* * *

I sat down at my desk and buried my face in my hands. _Shit. I shouldn't have snapped at him like that. Six hundred years of exercising caution and restraint and you could never tell by the way I've been acting these last few days._ Eric sat down next to me without a word. Undoubtedly, he already heard about that little spat I had with Mike. I figured it was probably safe not to acknowledge him either.

I opened up my textbook to the appropriate page and looked up at the wrong time. I locked eyes with Jasper. Trying not to stare him down, I forced myself to look down at my desk and keep my jaw clenched, knowing full well that I did not have complete control of my wolf. I focused on steadying my breath, ignoring the burning sensation in my nose that came with the presence of a vampire. _Tomorrow's the full moon, and I am already coming unraveled. This is going to be bad. I need to shift tonight, but apparently, I am now being watched at home by the damn coven. What am I going to do tomorrow under the full moon?_

"Bella?" Eric whispered snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned to look at him. His face was full of apprehension. "I'm sorry, but I just really need to ask you. Are you really gay?" I looked up at Mr. Mason. His back was still toward us, lecturing, and oblivious to our conversation. I just simply nodded. "Damn, that's hot…but I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not a little disappointed." I raised my eyebrow to Eric and shrugged. He's never bothered me nearly as bad as Mike, so I let it go. I gave him a small smile, and he turned back to Mr. Mason. I tried my best to listen to the boring English lesson too, in an attempt to forget the feeling of pending doom that I had.

The bell rang and I couldn't wait to get out of there. My nose was killing me. The closer it gets to Mandatory Shift, the more heightened my senses become. I can usually control it with regular shifting and hunting. _Ugh how am I going to survive the rest of today and tomorrow_.

Jasper was noticeably taking his time again. _Nope. I don't have the patience to talk to him today._ I leapt over a couple chairs to make my way to the door without having to walk by him. _I really don't care if he notices that I'm avoiding him. Wasn't one of the reasons the Cullens became suspicious that I wasn't actively trying to avoid them._

* * *

_This was a mistake._

The lunchroom was swirling with different smells of body odor, food, and bloodsuckers. I had felt physically ill progressively throughout the day, and the smells just made me nauseous.

 _I'm gonna throw up_.

I quickly got out of the cafeteria and went straight to the restroom. I went into a stall not bothering to close it behind me. I held my hair back and used the wall to steady me as I emptied out the contents of stomach. I knelt down in front of the toilet and continued to dry heave a few more times.

I heard the bathroom door open. A wave of strawberries and mint filled my senses, and my muscles began to relax. "Are you okay?" my wolf's ears perked up at the sound of the tiny voice. _Traitor_.

"I'm fine, Alice." I flushed the toilet and wiped my face before turning around to see a worried look on her face.

"You don't look fine. You look pretty pale." _Speak for yourself_.

I walked over to the sink and tried to rinse out my mouth as much as I could. Looking at my reflection, I could see she was right. I looked sickly. _I need to shift. Now._

"I think I'm just gonna go home," I muttered.

"Can I take you? I don't feel comfortable with you driving in your condition." _No_. I glanced up at her through the mirror.

"What about my bike? I'm not leaving it on school property."

"You don't have to. I'll drive it." _Hell no_.

"No way!" I spun around to look at her a little too fast. I stumbled a bit from lightheadedness. Alice reached her arm around my waist to steady me; the sudden increase in her proximity didn't help my dizziness.

"You either let me drive your bike or you leave it here and I take you in Edward's car. Take your pick because I am not letting you drive." Alice stood there with a stern look and her hands on her hips. _Midget vamp is stubborn. If I just leave, she's gonna come to my place anyway. There is no way out of this_.

"Fine," I huffed. I reached in my pocket and threw her the keys, choosing the lesser of the two evils. _I'd rather not leave my bike here just to be stuck in a car that probably needs to be burned due to the stench._

* * *

After about twenty minutes, we finally started to make our way to my place. Alice had to tell her family that she was leaving and that she would need someone to come get her from my house later, although, that wasn't the reason it took so long for us to leave. No. We spent the majority of that time debating about who was going to wear the helmet. Yes, I knew she didn't need it, but I had to pretend I didn't know that…and it would just feel weird that I would be the only one that was "protected". Regardless, I lost the fight and ended up wearing the damn helmet. I can't help but give her anything she asks for.

I had finally admitted to myself that I had developed a little crush on her. It's stupid, naïve, and reckless to have these types of feelings, but I can't deny it even if I'm attempting to reel those feelings in. If things were different, I would definitely ask her out, but she's off-limits. _Besides, she's straight anyway…and in a fucking relationship._ Nonetheless, Alice had become a friend…and I'm ashamed to say, I was having second thoughts about killing her.

Alice handed me a glass of water and sat next to me on my one couch. "So can I get you anything else? Maybe I can make you soup? I heard chicken soup is good for you when you're sick."

I gave her an incredulous look. "You can cook?"

"I can try. I've been watching a lot of cooking shows lately with my mom, and I kinda want to try some stuff." _Oh that sounds promising. Vamps don't eat food. But I can't lie and say it wouldn't be entertaining to watch one cook, let alone watch Alice._

"I'm alright, thanks. I don't know how much I can keep down anyway," I smiled. Truth be told, I was starving. I could probably eat a whole deer…

Alice didn't say any more. She just sat there quietly observing me with her hands on her lap, looking almost hesitant. It was very uncharacteristic of her. It made me uneasy. "What's wrong, Alice?"

"It's nothing…I just wanted to ask you about something." I waited patiently for her to continue. "It's just I've been hearing these rumors about you today at school about your…orientation…" _Ahhhh._

"Can't really call them rumors if you actually heard me say it, Alice," she shot me a questioning glance. "I saw you in the hallway. I know you heard what I told Mike. You weren't that far from us." _She would have heard us from the other side of the hallway if she wanted to with her hearing._

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked looking almost hurt. My wolf whined.

"Honestly, you just never asked. You know I'm not very big on talking about myself anyway."

"Yeah, but I had to hear you tell someone else before you were even willing to tell me," Alice got up off the couch to stand in front of me. I stood up too. I was not about to be talked down to.

"Whoa, whoa, wait. I HAD to tell Mike. He was asking me out on a date. I tried to tell him 'no', but he continued to persist and ask me why I wouldn't date him. I should have just t

old him it was because he's a douchebag, but I didn't." I looked straight into her topaz eyes and held her gaze. "I'm sorry that you found out the way that you did." Alice sighed then dropped my gaze to look down at the floor. Suddenly, she took in a little sharp breath, and looked like she was spacing out again. I assumed that she was having a vision or something…at least that's how her family described it. She got them from time to time around me. I would just wait patiently for her to come back to reality, but this time, mini vamp looked flustered. "Alice? You alright?"

She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw making the muscle flex. _Sexy._ "I'm fine, sorry. Jasper's gonna be here any minute."

"Already?" _Oh yeah, Jasper suspects I'm dangerous. He's not entirely wrong._

"Yeah, he texted me while I was in the kitchen and told me he decided to cut class too. He had to finish packing anyway."

"Packing? Wait, where is he going?"

"My family and I are going to Alaska for the weekend to visit family." _Family? Is that a cover story or are they really that close with a separate coven? …I'm gonna hope for the former_.

"So you're not gonna be at school tomorrow?"

Alice shook her head, "No, we're leaving tonight when everyone gets home."

"Oh, ok." I tried not to seem too relieved. _How lucky is that?! The leeches are going to be gone for the full moon! And I can shift tonight , after I make sure they're gone of course._ I looked up at the tiny bloodsucker. She still looked a little upset. "Are you okay?"

She answered me with an unconvincing nod and began to make her way toward the door. I heard a car pull up in my driveway. "Jasper's here. I'll see you on Monday."

"Umm, bye," insecurity unexpectedly came out in my voice. The littlest vampire looked over her shoulder at me with apologetic eyes and quietly closed the door behind her.

* * *

I shakily grabbed a bottle of water and popped some leftover steak in the microwave. I propped myself up onto the counter and waited for my food to finish heating up. Since Alice had left about four hours ago, I could smell Edward skulking around the perimeter. I knew he was watching me. He's a horrible spy. I wanted nothing more than to rip his head off and shove it up his ass, but I was in a delicate situation. Alice said that they were all going to go to Alaska. _If I kill him now, I'll have the whole coven searching for him, and I can bet where Jasper's going to want to search first._ Right now, taking them all on would be suicide in my condition. It's too close to the full moon, and I hadn't hunted at all in almost a month.

After my food was done heating up, I sat on the couch and flipped on the new TV that I bought a couple weeks ago to appease Alice. She had been complaining about wanting to watch movies here, but I didn't have anything to watch it on. I eventually caved and bought this decent little 32" one to shut her up. I continued to flip through the channels till I saw something that made me laugh; "Blade II" was playing on TNT. I grinned as the main character killed off all the mutant vampires with finesse. I knew Edward could hear the movie just fine from outside, but I purposely turned it up louder anyway.

At dusk, Edward's scent was no longer as potent which meant the undead bitch wasn't outside anymore. I waited until the sun set fully, and walked out on my porch. I considered the woods around me. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I confirmed that he wasn't around. _Time to figure out if the Cullens have left yet._ I jumped off the porch and ran in the direction of their house. It felt good to actually use my muscles.

I was there in no time at all. I crept up to the house as I did before, but this time I heard no sounds coming from it. Regardless, I remained quiet and hidden among the shadows as I investigated. I picked up their scent on the other side of the house, heading north. Well, at least I know she wasn't lying about leaving. Satisfied with the notion, I left the house and ran further in the woods. I came across a large boulder with a crack running down the middle of it. The space it created looked big enough to hide my clothing while I hunted. I stripped down, folded my clothes neatly, and stashed it in the crevice as far as I could reach. I could feel my wolf practically excited from anticipation on finally being let out. I closed my eyes and focused on the transformation that I had done thousands of times. It was an uncomfortable shift, but when I opened my eyes, I felt free at last. I looked up at the glowing moon, letting out a deep ear-piercing howl, and fixated my senses on nearby prey.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I didn't even set my alarm for school this morning. I woke up around one in the afternoon. I had spent all last night wolfed-out. I wanted to take advantage as much as I could while the bloodsuckers were on "vacation" in Alaska. Normally, a shift like that would have me feeling a whole lot better, but inevitably, since it was a cursed night, I felt like utter shit. Nightmares once again plagued me during my sleep, although this time, my dream had started earlier.

_My mother was preparing a small pack as quiet tears fell from her eyes; I had not known then it was for me. When I tried to ask her what was wrong, she just shook her head, hugged me, and sent me out of the room. My father was sitting by the window looking solemn as if he knew his end was near…but then again, maybe he did._

_I walked over to my father and grabbed his hand. "What's going on?" I whispered to him. He merely shook his head. "I'm not a baby, Father. I am old enough to understand things," my eyebrows furrowed and I stood up a little straighter as if to better prove my point. He chuckled a bit and pulled me onto his lap. I leaned my head against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. I loved that sound. It was the safest sound in the world._

_I grabbed his hand and started examining his old ring as always. It had a thick gold band with a black onyx stone. In the stone, a wolf figure was carved into it, similar to the ones imprinted on the sides of the gold band. My father took off the ring, placed it in the palm of my tiny hand, and closed it with his massive one._

_"You may not be a baby, but you will always be my pup," I smiled at his term of endearment for me as he gently kissed the top of my forehead…_

I rolled out of bed and pulled back the heavy curtain from my window, only to be blinded by unusually bright sunlight. _Wow, never mind._ I quickly replaced the curtain and rubbed my eyes. _I wonder if Alice can predict weather patterns. It seems all too convenient that the coven chose this sunny weekend to be out of town._

Contrary to the popular myths, vampire didn't burn up in the daylight. _I wouldn't be surprised if the Volturi started that rumor too. Clever bastards_. I remembered being told by my family and later learning from experience that the skin of a vampire shimmers like diamonds in the sunlight. _Guess it would be stretching it if the vamps just told everyone they were all wearing shimmer lotion_.

I opened the top drawer of my dresser. In the far back corner, sat an old box; I pulled it out and opened it. There inside was my father's old ring. It was the only thing I had left from them. My most prized possession. It had only ever been stolen from me once about 300 years ago. Of course, it didn't take me long to catch the thief. He left his stench everywhere when he ransacked my little home. Now, I don't normally don't bother to mess with humans, but I must say I did take pleasure in seeing the fear in his eyes when I caught up to him. I brushed my fingers over the stone as I did when I was a child. "I still miss you both," I whispered, and replaced the ring back where I kept it.

* * *

 

The first real wave of pain came when I was in the kitchen later in the evening. My ribcage broke open and snapped back to place. I let in a sharp gasp of air and clutched my ribs as I leaned up against the counter. "6:13" was displayed on the microwave. Being that it was early November; the sun had already set almost two hours ago. _It's gonna be a long night._

During a full moon, the shift is slow. Bones break, grow, and snap back for hours before the body finally goes through the full transformation. By the next couple hours, I was hovering over my bathroom sink naked, splashing water on my burning face and neck. Tremors racked through my whole body; my breathing uneven and shallow. Looking up at my reflection in the mirror, I found glowing yellow eyes staring right back. I stumbled out of the bathroom trying to get to my room only to have my knee snap backwards, dropping me to the floor screaming. It popped forward again, and I tried dragging myself to my room.

From the nightstand drawer, I grabbed two bandanas. I rolled one of them up and stuffed it into my mouth as a gag while I used the other to tie around my head to hold it in place. I had tried to buy actual ball gags in the past, but I always bit down with so much force that I ended up destroying them. I hated wearing them so I always waited till the waves became stronger and more frequent. Thankfully, I had gotten to them when I did.

My spinal column snapped in two places; first in my lower back and then in my upper. I screamed into the bandana as the pain left me curled up on the floor with tears streaming from my eyes. I was curled on the floor of my room for another hour or so till the last wave finally hit.

Suddenly, all the bones in my body started to break simultaneously. I jerked so violently, it flipped me face down on the floor. My body erupted in size and started sprouting fur. I pushed up onto my hands and knees when I felt my face beginning to lengthen. I ripped off the bandana with my growing claws. The sharp pains left as soon as they came, leaving only a dull discomfort and a massive beast.

I made my way out of the house and ran straight into the dark forest on all fours with a burst of speed and adrenaline. Within minutes, I caught a whiff of prey. A large buck wandered around in the moonlight. I crouched low to the ground, feeling the forest floor under my claws to make sure that it was steady enough to pounce from. I took a deep breath and leapt onto the buck, tackling it into the ground with tremendous force. Immediately, I bit down on its neck, crushing its windpipe. The buck went limp beneath me, and I sent a gratifying howl into the still night air. I probably looked even more petrifying now with blood dripping from my snout. I didn't care. I felt more satisfied now than I had been feeling for the past month.

I sprinted around the forest a bit longer before returning to the large, precipitous boulder I had come to the night before. I leapt up and rested on top of it just staring up at the moon, basking in its light and feeling sated from the kill. Suddenly, a low howl broke the calm silence and was immediately followed by another and another, encompassing my location. My ears folded back as I growled at the sound. _The shifters._

I bowed low to the surface of the rock trying to stay hidden in its shadows. One by one, massive wolves approached the rock twenty feet below me. I had thought for sure that they had come to attack me until I peeked over the side of the rock and noticed them gathering together about fifteen yards from my position, yipping and bumping into one another carelessly. I counted out ten, which was more than I had previously assumed. The wolves were immense in size; a distinctive characteristic of their kind. Just then, another wolf advanced from the shadows.

It was a black wolf, and he was much larger than any of the others. The rest of the pack immediately became silent. _Must be the alpha._ The pack faced the black wolf as he snarled and growled at the group. Some members growled back in agreement I presumed while a few others whimpered, looking unsure. The alpha advanced forward to all of them and broadened its chest by holding its head up higher. It snarled and stared his pack members down as each one bowed low. They looked as if they were being pushed down by an invisible force. After a few more moments, the pack broke off in pairs and headed off again in multiple directions.

 _Well that was an interesting sight. I've certainly never seen anything like that before. Makes me wonder what on earth they were saying to each other. I wonder how they understand each other in that form. I mean, yes, I am a werewolf, but that doesn't automatically mean I speak wolf when I shift. I only have animalistic instincts_.

I thought about following one of the shifters to see what they were up to. I was curious, but I had learned that sometimes it is better not to give in to my curiosity.

* * *

The following day, I had felt almost completely revitalized except for the soreness. To the best of my knowledge, the Cullens were still out of town. It was, yet again, a bright sunny day, and I was not about to spend what was left of it cooped up inside. I remembered hearing about a beach in La Push that was supposed to be pretty decent. Without giving it further thought, I packed my swimsuit, a towel, and a lunch that consisted of sandwiches of some leftover deer meat from the hunt that I had stored in the extra freezer. The excess meat always saves me a ton on groceries.

The beach was pretty packed with people when I got there. It wasn't the least bit surprising considering the sunny weather. I continued walking down the beach till there was no one around, and laid out my towel. I took off my shirt revealing my black bikini top. I decided against taking off my jean shorts at the moment and lied down on my back, crossing my feet and intertwining my fingers over my waist. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun with not a person around me for at least 200 yards.

I smiled slightly thinking about how Alice would probably be teasing me about being antisocial right now. I would probably once again remind her that she was antisocial as well, seeing as hanging out with her siblings…and boyfriend…doesn't really count as socializing. But I never once told her that I knew that she could be a huge socialite if she really wanted to. She was so bubbly and kind; very different from the rest of her coven. It was easy to enjoy her company. Her smile was so captivating, and her laughter was melodic.

Yes, Alice Cullen definitely had command over my attention.

My thoughts of Alice were rudely interrupted by a deep voice calling me. "Hey, Bella!"

I opened one eye to see a shifter coming out of the water toward me. I didn't even notice him coming. _I gotta stop getting so distracted._ "Hey, Jacob, right?" I replied. I wasn't entirely sure what his name was.

"Yeah, that's right." He plopped down on the sand next to me. "What are you doing all by yourself over here?" I sat up making my posture level with his, showing my wolf's refusal to be below anyone.

"I'm not a fan of big crowds. What are you doing way out here, yourself?"

"Oh, I'm hanging out with my friends."

"What friends?" I was suddenly on high alert. I didn't mind so much one shifter sneaking up on me but not a whole group.

"They're over there," he pointed to a spot in the distance to a group of shirtless guys. They were ganging up on a smaller guy before suddenly shoving him off the cliff. I immediately stood up, but before I could move forward, I heard Jacob laughing. "Easy, Bella. They're just cliff diving. It's such a rush. That's where I just came from."

I nodded my head, impressed. "That's a pretty impressive height."

"What are you afraid of heights?" I turned back to see him with a playful grin.

"Not in the least bit."

"Oh really? Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind jumping with us," Jacob had a full-on grin and a challenge in his eyes. _I know he's not expecting me to go for it, but my wolf hates backing down from a challenge._

"Alright, lead the way," I squared up my shoulders and stared him straight in the eye. He looked taken aback for a moment before leading me to where some of his pack mates stood up on the cliff.

* * *

"Hey guys, this is Bella," Jacob introduces me.

"Hey, Bella. Remember me from the shop?" _Actually, I specifically remember him being the one with the silver fur._ He put his arm around my waist.

"Oh, right. Paco?" I pushed out of his arms and took a few steps away from him.

"It's Paul," he corrected. His pack mates snickered.

"Ah, yes, Paul."

"Anyway, Bella says she's not afraid of heights so she's gonna jump with us," said Jacob. They all looked at me with skeptical expressions.

"You're gonna jump?" one of them questioned. _Why is this such a big deal? Humans do this kind of stuff all the time._

"Yes. I've skydived and bungee jumped before. I don't see how this is really that different."

"What are you an adrenaline junkie?" another shifter asked.

"No, I just like to experience life. Why is this so weird?" _What's the point in being immortal if you're not going to be a bit daring?_

"Fellas, meet my new girlfriend," Paul put his arm around me again. His scent grew muskier. _What is he trying to mark me or something?_

Reflexively, I pushed him off causing him to trip over a rock and fall on his ass. "Sorry, Phil, I'm not interested."

His friends roared with laughter. He got to his feet, visibly shaking with anger. _Oh crap._ Once they saw the state of their friend, everyone shut up.

"Paul!" a deep voice bellowed. I turned to see it was Sam, the shop owner. "Go cool off," he ordered. Without hesitation or another word, Paul stormed off into the forest. _Yup, he's the alpha._ "Sorry about that. He has a short temper."

"That was a close one," I heard someone whisper.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have provoked him the way that I did." I really shouldn't have, but I couldn't help myself. _Plus that one is an ass._

"Don't worry about it," Sam reassured.

"Alright, enough about Paul. I wanna see you dive," Jacob stepped in.

"First, let the pro, Jared, show you how it's done," a shifter emerged from the group, pointing both his thumbs at himself. _Wow, cocky much?_

Jared walked up to the edge, looked back at everyone, and winked before he leapt off the side and cannonballed all the way down.

"Think you can handle it?" Jacob asked with a playful grin.

I gave him a small smirk, broke into a sprint, and I swan dove over the edge. The air whipped passed and felt the dropping sensation in my stomach before hitting the water. The current was stronger than I had anticipated, but I still managed to break the surface with ease.

I hung out with the pack the rest of the afternoon. They were an alright group of guys. Although, the combined testosterone between them was enough to ensure that this wasn't going to become a regular thing for me. They were able to distract me momentarily from my thoughts of the little vampire…

…I had to admit that I actually missed her.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It had felt like an eternity since I had been at school. It may have been because of the long nights that I had this past weekend. My wolf roamed free every night except last night.

Last night, I was running around the area before deciding to shift. I wasn't sure when the coven was going to be returning. On my run, I came across their scent once again, just north of their home. _The bloodsuckers are back._

For some irrational reason, I wanted to see Alice. I needed to see Alice.

I sprinted as fast as I could, zipping in and out of the trees till I reached the back side of the Cullen house. I crouched down in the bushes away from sight. I scanned the many windows for the specific face. My breathing ceased when I finally found her.

Alice was sitting on the couch in the living room next to Jasper. They were watching something on TV with Emmett and the blonde. However, the couples couldn't appear more opposite. Rosalie was lying across Emmett's lap. She was absentmindedly stroking his hand. They looked completely comfortable with one another. Alice and Jasper, on the other hand, weren't even touching each other. Jasper had his elbow on the armrest of the couch leaning away from Alice; while she had perfect posture: back straight, chin parallel to the floor, legs crossed at the ankles, hands placed on her lap, etc. There was no expression on either of their stone-like faces. No bright smile that I had grown to adore so much.

I sat out there for a good fifteen minutes just staring before realizing that I was actually stalking a vampire…and not to gain information. _Geez how low have I stooped…_

Quietly, I headed in the direction of the river. I sat on the edge of a rock and watched the water flow by, mesmerized by its current. I dipped the tips of my fingers in the water, enjoying the contrast of its icy temperature against my warm skin. My thoughts once again drifted to Alice…as they always had since the moment I met her. _It's unnatural to harvest feelings for a vampire. It's against everything I am. My whole life I've hated vampires. They stole my family from me._ _I had to learn how to fend for myself; learn to survive._ _Because of them, I have been alone for hundreds of years._    _And now, I actually have feelings for someone…strong feelings…and it's for a bloodsucker_.

I felt as if my world was splitting in two. One half was the part I always knew, based on instinct and the will to survive. The other half was centered around Alice: to be around her, talk to her, protect her…care for her. The second half threatened to take me away from everything I knew. It frightened me and not many things did, but it was what my wolf urged me toward. That was one of the things that confused me the most.

* * *

Walking through the halls on Monday for the first time since my…shall you say "meltdown" was awkward to stay the least. Nothing but a lot of stares and whispers; one that even included "I heard she dropped out from embarrassment". _I was gone for one day. People are so stupid._

From across the hall, my eyes met with Alice's. She was standing next to Jasper with the same blank expression she had on yesterday. I gave her a small smile, but all I got in return was a curt nod before she looked away. _Okay, what the hell was that? Did I do something wrong?_ I stood there with a confused expression on my face. Her body was tense as if she knew I was still looking at her but making a conscious effort to not look back.

With my jaw clenched, I made my way to class still extremely puzzled at Alice's "greeting". Jasper soon walked into the room and immediately gave me an icy glare. My wolf within snarled menacingly at him. I refused to drop my gaze this time. I focused on breathing steadily and gripped the edge of my desk to hold me in my place. I wanted nothing more than to leap across this room and rip his head off for looking at me like that. He broke our stare when he sat in his seat, but I continued to burn a hole in the back of his skull.

"Hey Bella!" I heard Eric say from right next to me.

"Hey, Eric," I reluctantly pulled my eyes away from Jasper to greet him. "How was your weekend?" I asked. I admittedly only partially listened to his answer.

During lecture, I paid a bit more attention to Jasper, and how he affected the other students during class. He was rigid as he always was. I could hear him taking short breaths, once every minute or so. I assumed it was from being so close to the humans. Briefly, I wondered if he was the newest addition to the coven and their unorthodox diet since he seemed to not be at ease around the humans as much as the others. The students that sat in close proximity to him, leaned slightly away from him. It was something that was expected of humans, though it was a subconscious action. A self preservation-type of action that they wouldn't be fully aware of. Even the teacher seemed to gloss over him when he would address the rest of the students.

I pondered for a moment about whether I still had that effect on the humans as well or if Jasper had a stronger repulsion. It was something I had grown so used to that I rarely even noticed it anymore. From the corner of my eye, I observed the others. I decided to test it: I leaned on my left elbow and shifted by body in that direction. The girl that was sitting on that side did the same seconds after. I stifled a grin. _Yup. Still give off that vibe. Guess the vampires picked up on it too since they're so suspicious._

* * *

 

At lunch, Angela and Eric made sure I was included in the conversation. Mike and Jessica, however, seemed to be off in their own little world. They were leaning in close, whispering to one another. Jessica was giggling uncontrollably at something that probably wasn't as funny as she was making it out to be. _Looks like she's finally getting the attention she's been craving from Mike. Good for her. Whatever keeps him away from me._

Across the cafeteria, I could see the vampires sitting in their usual spots. Alice had come and sat with me a couple times, but I sure as hell wasn't expecting that today. Sure enough, Alice was right there sitting next to her…mate. She looked so shut off. The Alice I had come to know was bubbly and energetic. The girl I was looking at now was stiff and quiet; a shell of her former self. Alice looked up and caught me gaping at her, and just like this morning as I had done with her mate, I didn't avert my gaze. Her stare was almost apologetic and pleading all at the same time. My wolf whined before she dropped her eyes again. Jasper put his arm around her and pulled her in close to him. It was the first time I had seen any physical contact between them since they got back. He glared at me from across the room for a moment before asking Emmett about something unimportant. _Why the fuck is this asshole glaring at me all of a sudden? What happened to befriending me?_ Edward was just gawking at me with an odd expression on his face like he was trying to figure me out. I deemed him and his family strange before I turned back to the conversation at my lunch table.

* * *

"How was your weekend, Bella?" I held back a cringe as Edward took his seat beside me in Biology.

"Just fine," I answered. "How was Alaska?"

"Alaska? How do you know about Alaska?"

"Alice told me you guys were going when she took me home on Thursday."

"You and Alice are pretty close, huh?" There was something in his tone I couldn't place.

I shrugged, "I like to thing we are friends, yes."

"Just friends?" A breath hitched in my throat that I know he heard.

"Excuse me?" The question caught me off guard.

"Nothing, never mind," he said quickly. _What the hell was that supposed to mean?_ "Listen, I was wondering if you'd want to go out with me some time?"

_Are. You. Kidding. Me?_

"Uh, Edward, I know you know that I'm gay."

"I don't believe that's something I know. Just give me a chance. Maybe you just haven't –"

" –Dear Lord, please do not say I haven't found the right guy yet. It's not going to happen. I don't find ANY guy attractive." He was about to protest when the teacher walked in and quieted everyone down to begin the lecture.

"Just think about it," he whispered in my ear. Rage coursed through my body. _Good God, what is it about the guys in this town and their inability to understand "no"._

* * *

Class couldn't have ended sooner. I needed to talk to Alice. I needed to interact with her.

In the locker room, there was no sign of her. _She's probably already out there._ Alice had a habit of being dressed and ready to go before I even opened my locker. I quickly got dressed and headed out to the gym.

As always, Emmett, with his sheer size, was easy to spot but still no Alice.

"Hey, Emmett," I greeted one of the only two vampire I liked.

"Hey, Bella!" he wrapped me up in a huge hug. I had to admit, it took me awhile to get used to his hugs. For one, they could be classified as "bone-crushing", and two, I didn't like being touched…especially by vampires…with the exception of Alice.

"Where's Alice?" I asked after I begged him to put me down.

"Oh, she said that she wasn't feeling well so she went home early." _Well that's a bunch of bull. Bloodsuckers don't get sick. They're dead._

I felt pretty disappointed. I admittedly missed her all weekend and the one time I would be almost guaranteed to get to interact with her, she doesn't show up. My wolf whined. I had to snap out of it. I was going to see her sooner or later.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Two weeks. Two weeks since Alice had come to our class. Every day, I saw her with Jasper in the hallway. Every day, I caught her staring at me from across the lunch room. Yet, every day, I would look for her when I entered the gym, and she wasn't there. She had skipped gym class every day. It had gotten to the point where I would just give Emmett a look, and he knew I was asking about his sister's whereabouts. He would just answer with a shrug.

It's not like I didn't try to talk to her, but somehow she would see me coming from distance at lunch or in the hallway, and she'd disappear into the crowd. I even tried intercepting her after lunch, but that only ended up in an extended amount of time with the tick, Edward, since he insisted on walking to class together, and God knows I didn't want to that again. She was obviously avoiding me, but I just didn't know why. I was losing sleep over it. Tossing and turning throughout the night with thoughts of Alice. When I did manage to shut my eyes, the "running dream" would plague my sleep.

With the weekend here, I refused to wait another couple days just to be disappointed again by her absence. I ached to be with her...quite literally. I couldn't describe it nor could I explain it. All I knew was that I felt pretty pathetic that I missed someone this much. Regardless, I needed to see her. I needed her to talk to me and tell me why she was avoiding me. So against all logic, against all of my instincts, I found myself on my motorcycle riding toward the vampires' house.

I killed the motor and just sat on my bike, watching the front door of the Cullen home. I knew they knew I was here. I could hear their movements cease as soon as I pulled up. My head was screaming at me, telling me to get back on the bike and drive away, but my body…my wolf, knocked on the door anyway. A moment later, the door was opened by my favorite vampire.

She didn't appear to be expecting my visit, but at the same time, she didn't look surprised by it either.

"What are you doing here?" she asked right off the bat.

"What? No, hello?" I retorted.

"Hello. What are you doing here?"

"You know why I am here. You've been avoiding me. Why?" Alice gave me a pained expression.

"This is not a good time, Bella. You should not have come. I need you to leave," she replied and started to close the door. My hand shot up to keep it from closing.

"I am not leaving until you talk to me," I almost growled. I hated the indifferent attitude she had with me.

Then, another vampire came walking up behind Alice; one I had not met before. She was taller than Alice but a bit shorter than me. She had long, caramel-colored hair, a heart-shaped face with soft features, and the Cullen's trademark topaz colored eyes. The woman looked physically older than the others, but not by much. She was probably in her mid-twenties when she was turned.

"Alice, who is this?" she asked.

"I'm Bella," I answered before she could.

"You're Bella?! I've heard so much about you! Please, come in." Before Alice could protest, I thanked her and walked in. "My name is Esme Cullen. I'm Alice's mom," she introduced herself.

"I apologize for stopping by uninvited, Ms. Cullen,-"

"Esme, please," she interrupted.

"Esme," I smiled, politely. "But I needed to speak to Alice, and I have been unable to do so at school," I finished.

"Well, I'm sure she has more than enough time now," Esme shot her a stern look.

Alice's lips formed a tight line. "Bella and I are going to go for a walk. We'll be home a little later," she told her.

The tiny vampire angrily gestured for me to follow her. I pondered it for a moment before going with her. _At least she's not sending me away._ She led me away from the house and into the forest behind her house. As we were walking deeper and deeper into the forest, there was an awkward silence between us. I didn't ask once where we were headed. To be honest, I was just thankful to be spending time with her. It was pitiful. I was like a pup again.

"Where's Jasper?" I blurted out as we were walking.

"He went out with the boys. They'll be back later tonight," she paused. "I thought you were looking for me, not Jasper," she said curtly.

"Well, I was just wondering since you two have been attached at the hip, recently."

"He's my boyfriend, Bella. What do you expect?"

"I don't know. I'll tell you what I wasn't expecting, though. I wasn't expecting you to start avoiding me all of a sudden," I raised my eyebrow at her, but she wasn't even looking at me. She just picked up her pace a little. The energy between us was starting to simmer. I decided not to press any further…for the moment.

We continued on for a great length of time before I saw a light coming through the dense trees up ahead. It didn't take long before we broke the line of trees and came upon a clearing filled with flowers. Even with the cloudy overcast, the meadow seemed to be shining with beauty. The sight felt extremely familiar. I stopped at the edge of the meadow, just taking it all in.

Alice walked ahead a little before realizing I wasn't following her. She turned around and took in my awed expression. For the first time in two weeks, she smiled.

_…Oh my God._

Just then, I recognized everything: the meadow, the beautiful flowers…and the beautiful angel before me, Alice.

I remembered the dream I had been having for weeks; the dream where all I did was run to her...to Alice. Every time I woke from that dream, I would spend a great deal of time pondering the meaning of it and who it was I was headed to. Standing there, practically reliving that dream, it caused waves of feelings and emotions to course through me. She stood there carefully watching me. It was like I was seeing her for the first time. Her hair was so shiny and silky. The gems that were her eyes, I could lose years staring into them. Her pale skin so smooth and appeared soft yet I knew it was almost indestructible. All I wanted was to reach out and touch her.

The long stunned silence must of scared Alice. She approached me slowly with an outstretched hand. I partially lifted my own in a reflex to hold hers but was reminded by a sobering fact: her hand wasn't mine to hold. Instantly, my heart fell and I frowned deeply.

"What's wrong?" Even filled with worry, her voice sounded beautiful. It gave me both comfort and pain because the answer to her question was simple. _I don't have you_.

"Are you going to tell me why?" I took a step closer. I wasn't about to tell her that I just realized that I had been dreaming about her every day since I met her.

"Jasper and I have been having problems for a while –"

"What does that have to do with me?" I uttered.

"Nothing," then she whispered under breath, "I think." I shot her a confused look. "Jasper has just been wanting to spend more time with me. The trip to Alaska was supposed to mend things, but it didn't. They've just gotten worse."

"Again, what does that have to do with why you're avoiding me?" She paused as if trying to figure out how to word her answer.

"Jasper is a…jealous person. He sees how well you and I get along and he envies it, especially lately with how strained we've been."

"But we're just friends…" I resisted cringing at the simple status of our relationship. "Is he really that possessive of you?"

I already knew the answer. Of course he was. Vampires, shifters, and even werewolves are very possessive of their mates. But what didn't make sense to me was the lack of intimacy between them. It was my understanding that mates needed each other. That they were two halves of a whole. Soulmates.

My parents were obviously mates, and they loved one another fiercely. Whenever my father had to leave to Alpha gatherings with other packs, my mother and I would have to stay behind sometimes. For the whole time that my father was gone, my mother would fret. She would barely be able to sleep or eat. Sometimes, I would feel like if she didn't have to take care of me, she would just sit in front of the window until he came back. I'm not saying that they had the perfect relationship and never fought, but there was no doubt that they belonged together. That was not something I saw with Jasper and Alice.

_…Wait…those are all the feelings that I feel for Alice. I constantly think about her. I worry. I'm over protective. We always have the best time together. Oh crap. It all was so clear to me now. The answer was Alice. It was always Alice._

_I am mated to a vampire._

My wolf huffed in relief like it knew this whole time.. _Shut up_. 

_Great_. _Here I was mated to someone whose kind is a mortal enemy to my own AND believes that they are mated to another_. _Fantastic_.

I plopped down in the grass just exhausted mentally. I chuckled when I remembered that I had been exhausted in the dream too. I was probably metaphorically running to my soulmate this whole time. I was annoyed. _I'm just full of epiphanies today._ Alice hesitated before coming to sit next to me. I took a deep breath just trying to enjoy her close proximity and intoxicating scent.

"I've missed you," I whispered to her softly.

"I've missed you too," she admitted.

After a while, the pipsqueak and I were becoming comfortable with each other once again. I had my talkative Alice back. By the time we had to go, she was already nagging me about wanting to go shopping. Of course, I had to whine about it, but secretly I was more than willing to go. I had missed her so much that I was starving for time with her, even if that meant shopping.

"So how did you get out of all those gym classes without getting into trouble with the school?"

"My father's a doctor, remember?" _Oh yeah. It's hard to wrap my brain around the fact that a vampire can be around bleeding humans without going into a frenzy._

"Well that's convenient. And your dad just let you skip?"

"I told him I was behind in my classes, and I needed the extra time to study."

"You lied? You, Alice? Wow. You really need to avoid me that bad, huh?" Alice cast her eyes down before she realized I was just teasing her.

"Minor details, Bella," she stuck her tongue out at me.

I paused a moment before asking, "What about Jasper?" I wanted to know if she was considering the consequences when it came to him. I really couldn't care less about his feelings, but I knew it mattered to her, and it could affect Alice's feelings and/or actions.

"Jasper is going to have to deal with it. No matter what problems him and I are having, I shouldn't let it end our friendship. You're one of my best friends, Bella. I don't wanna lose you." _Mmm. What's that new term for this kind of situation? Ah, yes. "Friend zoned". I have been friend zoned. Perfect. Whatever. It's better than nothing. For now._

* * *

Right as we were approaching the house, I got a whiff of warm chocolate.

"Brownies?" I blurted out confused. Alice mirrored my confusion…though it was directed at me.

"You can smell that?" _Uh oh_. We were still a few yards away from the house.

"Yeah, can't you?" I tried to play it off. Please go with it.

"Only barely. And I've been told I have an exceptional sense of smell."

"No, I have a very keen sense of smell too. Especially when it comes to chocolate," Alice giggled.

"Well, I guess Esme is baking. Should be a real treat. She doesn't do it very often." _Yeah, or at all._

Esme opened up the front door before we even reached it.

"I baked some brownies for you! Please come in and have some," she ushered us in.

Inside the house was immaculate. Not a single thing was out of place. Although it was an absolutely gorgeous home, one thing I noticed was that it was so open. One area of the house would transition into another without very many walls to separate them. There was a big staircase off to the left that lead up to all three stories. I could see that there was a room right behind it, but the door was closed. Just to the right of it was a black grand piano. The room went back farther and I could see the living room. Rosalie was on the couch and merely peered up at us from her magazine. I was far from expecting a welcome from her. Esme escorted us into a modern, tasteful kitchen. The freshly baked brownies were sitting on the marble island countertop on a platter. My mouth instantly watered.

"Help yourself," she smiled as she pushed the platter over to me. The brownies tasted warm and gooey. Easily the best I've ever had. "So, Bella, Alice tells me you moved here from Phoenix?"

"Yes, about two months ago or so."

"And you're originally from Italy right?" I swallowed the mouthful of dessert I had before answering.

"Wow, you really have been talking a lot about me, huh?" I teased Alice. I think she would have blushed if she could. "Yes, Esme, I was born there. I hear you and your family haven't been here long either. How do you like it?"

"Oh, I love it. I prefer small towns and my husband enjoys being able to be more personal with his patients. Would you like a glass of milk?"

"Yes, thank you." I was a little taken aback that Esme was showing genuine kindness. It wasn't faked. She had a natural motherly way about her. Reminded me of my own mother.

Alice, who had been relaxed and smiling, suddenly tensed up. I heard footsteps coming up to the door. _The others are back._ Jasper came in silently but obviously angry and wrapped his arm around my Alice. " _She's not mine_ ," I mentally scolded myself.

"Bella, I was surprised to see your bike outside. What are you doing here?" said a voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Edward tried to lean in and give me a hug, but luckily, Emmett bumped him out of the way.

"She came to see me!" Emmett pulled me into an "Emmett hug". I have never been more grateful for one of those.

"Oh, guess who we ran into when we were out," he turned to the door.

In walked a rough-looking, ruby-eyed vampire with long sandy blond hair that reached his neck. My stomach dropped to the floor.

_Oh my God._

_Garrett._


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_Oh no. Garrett is going to recognize me, and even if he doesn't say anything, Edward will be sure to know. How would I explain that?!_

"Alice, I need to use your bathroom," I whispered to her and quickly ducked out of the room without a response while Garrett was distracted by everyone else. I raced up to the stairs in search of a bathroom and locked the door behind me. I sat down on the floor, brought my knees to my chest, and leaned my head back against the wall.

_What am I going to do?_

_Garrett's presence complicates things completely. If he realizes who I am, he could very well rat me out to the Cullens…or worse the Volturi. If he tells the Cullens, I lose Alice. If he tells the Volturi, I could lose my life._

_Either way, I lose everything._

I thought back the last moment I shared with Garrett.

" _Garrett Lee, you have to be the most stubborn man I have ever met in my life," I shook my head at him._

_"Well, considering you are still young in age, you mustn't know that many men," Garrett smiled._ If only he knew. _"You're a woman. You don't have the same thirst for a fight as I do. I want to be free. I came here to get away from a king's rule."_

_"And what if you die during battle? You won't have a life to enjoy."_

_"Then I will die fighting for it. Who knows, maybe I will find adventure in the afterlife." I knew it was pointless to try to persuade him to not join in on the war. He was born a rebel. And if there was one thing Garrett always wanted, it was excitement._

_"What am I going to do when you are gone? You are the only friend I have."_

_"Perhaps if you dressed and acted more like a lady, you wouldn't scare everyone away." I punched him in the arm. "Ow! See, that is what I am talking about!" he rubbed his arm. "Do not worry, Isabella, I will win the war for us before long."_

It was the last conversation we shared. Garrett was sent off to battle the next day. He was the closest I ever allowed myself to get to a human until then and ever since. He was always so curious and confident, very different from everyone else during that time. It was hard not to be fond of him. I didn't harbor any feelings of love, of course, but he was a true friend.

_I could have trusted him with my life, then. I doubt he'll feel the same after he finds out that I'm alive almost 250 years later…and not a vampire._

"Bella," Alice called from outside the door. "Is everything alright?"

_No._

I opened the door, semi-surprised to not see Jasper next to her. "I'm not feeling too well. I think I'm going head home. I have a lot of homework to finish up anyway," I lied.

"Okay, will I see you tomorrow?" Alice asked shyly. She looked so cute.

"I don't know. Will you be in class with me?"

"Yes!" she gave me a bright smile and wrapped her arms around me. My heart fluttered from the contact, and I hugged her back tightly, leaning my head on top of hers.

All was right in my world…till Jasper came walking up the stairs. "I better go," I whispered to Alice.

"Bye, Bella," she said softly.

"Bye, Alice," I gave her a small smile. "Jasper," I walked right by him, resisting the urge to shoulder check him.

I heard the conversation going on in the kitchen, but it was slowly moving toward me. I ran down the steps and yelled my goodbyes before heading out the door. I heard someone say "hey" after me, but I ignored them as I raced to my bike. The door opened behind me, and I managed to climb on my bike before dropping my helmet. _Shit._

"Hey, you dropped your phone by the stairs," said the voice I hadn't heard in over two centuries. I didn't want to turn around, but I knew it would be more suspicious if I had left at that moment. I took a deep breath, and reluctantly, turned to face him. We locked eyes, and Garrett took in a sharp gasp.

"Shh, please," I mouthed to him, knowing full well that they could hear us inside. He looked at me confused and speechless. I got off and slowly walked to him, whispering low enough for only him to hear. "Please, don't say anything to them. I will answer any questions you have just please don't say anything to them or even think about it around Edward," I pleaded desperately. "Garrett, please. I will meet you at the city pier in Port Angeles at midnight tonight." His eyes scrutinized me for a moment before nodding his head. "Thank you," I said aloud and took my phone.

* * *

I got to Port Angeles two hours early to avoid being followed by Edward the Stalker. I only hoped that Garrett would be just as careful. I leaned on the rail with my forearms facing the water. A light breeze was blowing over the salt water and the old wood of the pier. Then, a sweet scent mixed in the air.

"Thanks for coming. A couple centuries later than I expected, but better late than never." I said without turning around.

"I didn't expect to fight in all the American wars," he chuckled. "How did you know it was me?"

I laughed and turned around to face him. "I could smell you, Garrett."

"I can barely smell you. Your scent is faint," he said inhaling deeply through his nostrils, still keeping a wary distance between us. His red eyes scanned my body. I didn't enjoy being analyzed.

"Yours isn't. At least I know you weren't followed."

"The Cullens have no reason to follow me. They trust me."

"And yet you lied to them about me," I pointed out with interest.

"I didn't lie to them. I'm just simply withholding information…for now." He was calculating and unreadable. Far from the man I once knew, but by definition, I suppose he wasn't a man anymore. "So, how are you standing here in front of me hundreds of years later?"

I sighed. _Here goes nothing._ "I'm immortal. Like you."

"How? You're not a vampire," he questioned.

"C'mon, Garrett. Have you really been around all this time and not figured out or at least speculated that your kind is not the only supernatural beings on the planet?"

"You're dancing around the question, Isabella. You were always quite good at that." I narrowed my eyes at him. He was the last one to ever be allowed to call me Isabella. I hadn't tolerated being called that by anyone since. It reminded me too much of him.

I gritted my teeth, "I'm a werewolf."

"…what?" he looked at me as if I was joking. "A werewolf? That's impossible. Even I know about the genocide Caius inflicted upon the werewolves. He killed them off to extinction."

"Correction, to the brink of extinction. He practically succeeded. I don't know. It's been almost a hundred years since I've heard of or seen any of my kind. As far as I know, the Volturi stopped actively looking for us around 400 years ago...at least from what I remember."

"400 years? Wait, how old are you?"

"I was born in the late 14th century, therefore, over 600."

"So you were a werewolf the entire time I knew you?" I nodded. "Why didn't you kill me?"

I rolled my eyes, "I don't kill humans for sport. Thank the Volturi for spreading that lie."

"Seems like the Volturi aren't the only liars," Garrett shot back.

"Give me a break. Are you really gonna stand there and tell me that you would have told me if you were the immortal one back then? You didn't even come home after the war! You just let everyone believe that you were dead. You are no better than me." Garrett narrowed his eyes at me for a moment before smirking. "What?"

"You haven't changed much. Still lively as ever." I felt the corners of my mouth turning up slowly. _Bastard._

"You, either."

We stared at each other in silence just studying one another. I guess he really hadn't changed that much. It was surreal. It was like looking at someone from another life.

"They told you I was dead?" he finally asked.

"They said your entire unit was killed, but your body was the only one missing. I waited months for word of your whereabouts, but it never came. I figured you were maybe picked off by some animal and that's why they never found you. I guess I wasn't entirely wrong," I snorted. "So what exactly happened?"

He sighed and looked off into the distance, as if looking for the memory somewhere out in the water. "It was late at night. We had been taking shifts guarding while the rest of us slept. A scream from the soldier on guard woke us all up. Immediately, we reached for our rifles and headed to the lookout spot expecting to find the red coats. Instead, we found a wild looking man with glowing red eyes and blood running down from his mouth. He jumped on the next guy and shots were fired. Obviously, they didn't do anything to him. When we charged at him, he pushed us flying back. I believe the butt of a rifle hit me in the head because I was knocked unconscious. I vaguely remember him actually biting me, but I vividly remember the excruciating pain that followed. It felt like I had liquid fire running through my veins.

"When I finally came out of it a few days later, everyone else around me was dead and completely drained of their blood. I was confused as to why the vampire didn't kill me along with all the others. The only thing I've come up with is that he was probably beyond his fill and was sloppy about checking to see if I was still alive. Obviously, I eventually wandered off and learned on my own. I typically used the battlegrounds to my advantage for hunting.

"From time to time, I would meet others of my kind. Out of curiosity, I would stay with them for a period of time to learn from them or just for sheer company, but I mostly remained nomadic." I stood there in silence processing his story. _I guess he got the adventure he always wanted._ "You know, you said I wouldn't have told you if I was the immortal one, but at one point, I almost did. One night a few months later, I went back to look for you. I stayed my distance not wanting to kill you out of blood lust. You were alone in your cabin sleeping. I must have stood out there half the night debating whether or not to tell you. Obviously, I decided against it. Not wanting to complicate your life with such knowledge so I guess it would be hypocritical of me to be angry with you for not telling me either."

And there he was. A glimpse of the old Garrett I knew so long ago. Understanding and open-minded.

"How did you meet the Cullens?" I asked.

"I met Carlisle during the Battle of Yorktown in 1862. He was a doctor for the Union working on the front lines. I never understood how he could have so much control. How have you gotten mixed up with the Cullens?"

I hesitated. It was weird to open up about everything, but with Garrett, it was either tell the truth or risk him finding out and be exposed to my unknowing mate and losing her. "Forks was just the next place I decided to settle in. By the time I got a place and signed up for school, I learned about vamps and shifters residing here. It was too late to move."

"Why was it too late?"

"I only have so much money coming in from stocks and other investments. It's usually just enough to buy or rent out a small place and live comfortably for a few years at a time. I've never had a problem with covens maintaining a permanent residence before, much less trying to blending in with the town."

"Well, seeing as you were just at their house, why aren't you staying away from them?" _Uh oh._

"That's complicated."

"We have all the time in the world. Explain." I clenched my jaw shut. "Isabella," he gave me that familiar stern look.

I sighed deeply. "Alice is my mate."

"Hold on, I thought Jasper was her mate?"

"I assume you'll be visiting the Cullens for a while. Do me a favor and observe those two together then get back to me."

"So I'm presuming she doesn't know then?"

"Nope," my heart ached. We both became mute.

"That's gotta be tough. To watch them be together." I dropped my gaze and shrugged my shoulders. I felt his cold hand cup my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Isabella." I looked up at him as he observed me sympathetically. I felt overwhelmed by many different emotions. Sorrow and heartache from not being able to be with Alice; joy and relief at seeing an old friend, yet wary and anxious of our circumstances.

"So you turn into a big scary wolf?" I grinned.

"Terrifying." Garrett snorted.

"Yeah, I'll be the judge of that." I raised my eyebrow at him. "Unless you're embarrassed because you just turn into a giant chicken," he teased.

"Watch it," I bared my elongated canines.

"You have a snaggletooth or two growing there," Garrett motioned to his mouth. I growled. "Catch me if you can," he laughed as he raced out of town.

I chased after him as long as I could in human form barely able to keep up. When we reached the tree line, I immediately shifted and continued on chasing him. My wolf was overjoyed to be free. Within a few moments, I caught up to him and tackled him to the floor. I positioned myself over him and growled and bared my sharp teeth before howling in his ear. Garrett groaned at the noised as I rolled off of him barking with laughter. We both stood up face-to-face as he took in my alternate form. I towered over him by almost a foot.

"Impressive. I'm pretty sure I got a good taste of your strength with that tackle," he pulled down his shirt, revealing a few cracks in his skin by his collarbone that were already healing. I whined. _I didn't really mean to do that._ "It's ok, Isabella. I'm not made of glass," he winked.

I reached over took off his long dark brown overcoat. He looked at me puzzled as I went behind a tree and shifted back to my human form. I put it on which draped down to almost my knees. In this form, he was about six inches taller than me so it was no surprise. When I came around the tree, he doubled over with laughter.

"Lose your clothes?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "It's a minor inconvenience. I left my backpack with an extra set of clothes on my bike back at the pier. Would you mind heading over there and bringing my bike to me?" he nodded.

"I should have guessed you'd carry an extra set of clothes with you."

"If I haven't figured that out in a few hundred years, I'd be in trouble." Garrett's laughter faded as he ran off in the direction of town.

* * *

Garrett stayed at my house and talked the rest of the night. He told me all about his travels and the things he'd seen. Every once in a while I would add something that I had experienced in the same place, but I mostly let him do all the talking. I was dead tired by the time I had to get ready for school, but I didn't want to send him home at all. It was nice to have someone to share this with. When I started brewing coffee, realization dawned on his face.

"You actually sleep, don't you?" he asked.

"Normally, yes," I chuckled.

"I am so sorry. I didn't even stop to think about that. I was just having such a good time catching up with you –"

"Garrett, relax," I interrupted. "I was having a good time, too. It's a pleasant change for me to truly have a conversation with someone without worrying about if my stories make sense."

"I'm sure by now you must have a default story," he commented.

"Of course I do, but I still need to change minor details around for every place." I explained the story I gave to the Cullens about my background, just in case.

"Do they suspect anything?" he inquired.

"They are suspicious, I know that much. Rosalie doesn't trust me, but I have a feeling she doesn't trust many. Jasper and Edward I'm sure analyze me more than the others. I catch Edward's scent around here more often than not. Emmett I don't think cares too much."

"And Alice?"

"Alice…I don't know."

"You should tell her before she finds out on her own."

"I know that. It's just…just a very delicate situation."

Suddenly, I heard a car coming up my driveway. I could recognize that engine sound anywhere. "What's Alice doing here?" _Uh oh. What's she gonna think if she sees Garrett here?"_

As if reading my mind, Garrett replied, "Should I go?"

"No, she'll be able to smell you here if you go and that will seem more suspicious. Just stay and we'll improvise," I whisper to him before she knocks lightly at the door.

"Hey, Alice," I smiled as I opened up the door. She looked beautiful as she tilted her head up and beamed at me. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought since it was raining out today, it would be safer if you rode with me instead of riding your street bike." _It rains an average of twice a week and a few times have been in the morning since I got here…but then again, I'm not gonna complain if she wants to spend more time with me._ I heard Garrett step in sight behind me. Alice narrowed her eyes, puzzled but I'm sure she already knew he was there. "Garrett, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I saw him taking a stroll through the forest this morning so I invited him in. I'm trying to be sociable," I smirked. "Just let me get my things and we can head out." I headed to my room and grabbed my backpack. I slowed when I heard whispering coming from the vampires.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just as she said, I was wandering around the town and I happened to wander in front of her home. She was outside, sitting on her porch."

"Were you hunting in town?"

"No, I hunted up north, don't worry. I was going back to your house when I ran into her."

_Ok, enough questioning._

"Ready to go?" I stepped out into the living room. Alice nodded as I led them out the door. "Oh, and thanks for keeping me company, Garrett."

"The pleasure was mine," he answered with a smile. Alice looked between us thoughtfully before following me to her car.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Alice kept turning to look at me during the car ride to school. I kept my eyes ahead, smirking slightly.

"You know, typically the driver is supposed to watch the road more than the passengers, especially when it's pouring like this," I turned over to her in time to catch her smiling. "What's on your mind?"

"How long was Garrett at your place?" she questioned.

"Oh, I don't know. A couple of hours or so, why?"

"Just curious. What did you guys talk about?"

"Nothing really. Just the trivial stuff you talk about when you're getting to know someone."

"Hmm, then he needs to get in line," she muttered under her breath. I didn't quite understand the comment.

"So…did you get in trouble with your mate since you're taking me to school?"

Alice's eyes widened as she jerked her head so fast, I thought her head was going to snap off. "My what?"

_Oh shit._

"Your mate? You know, short for soulmate?" I put on my best poker face.

"Oh, right, yeah," she nodded her head slowly. "He and I had a serious talk about that last night. I told him I wasn't going to sacrifice my friendships. I shouldn't have to."

"Good for you. Thank God."

"Yeah, well, he was still very angry this morning."

"Is that why you picked me up?" _I don't want to be used as a tool to make him jealous._

"Yes and no. Jasper overheard me talking to Emmett about my concern over you taking your bike in this storm. He practically threatened me not to do it…so naturally, I grabbed my keys and left," she said with a tone of defiance.

I had a sick churning in my stomach. _No, I don't want her to be with Jasper, but I also don't want to be the cause of all this stress._

"I've never seen him that angry with me before," she frowned. I was so wrapped up in our conversation, I didn't realize we were already at school. Alice turned off the car and sighed. Without thinking about it, I reached over and grabbed her hand. Chills ran down my spine, and it wasn't from the difference in temperature. Her cold hand was so smooth and felt remarkably soft for as indestructible as it was. I squeezed it gently as I ran my thumb across the back. She gazed over at our joined hands and squeezed back a bit tighter. She had a big, bright smile on her face. My heart soared in response.

Reluctantly, I let go of her hand and got out of the car into the rain. Immediately, I saw Jasper glaring at us from under an eave of a building just beyond the entrance gate of the school. Alice came around the car and tensed up at my side, holding an umbrella.

"It'll be ok," I whispered to her. She answered with a small, uncertain smile.

As we approached the gate, Jasper stepped out into the rain to close the distance between us. "Alice, about this morning-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," she cut him off and tried to walk around him, but he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him again.

"Don't walk away when I am trying to talk to you."

Instantly, I was enraged, even more so than when I had witnessed Edward do the exact same thing, only this time, I bit back my growl. I stepped in between them and got right in Jasper's face.

"Let her go," I threatened in a low voice. I kept my head angled slightly downward as I stared up at him and tried not to expose my teeth too much. My mouth was practically watering from the overwhelming temptation to use them.

"This doesn't concern you," his eyes turned pitch black.

"Leave her alone," I answered not intimidated in the slightest. I was not in the mood for this. Not only did I seriously dislike him, but I was also running on no sleep. Even I was surprised at the amount of restraint I was showing.

"Or what? She's mine, you filthy dyke. Go find your own."

_Son of a bitch._

_Restraint gone._

I moved forward a fraction of an inch before the very woman we were fighting over, pulled my arm back. "It's ok, Bella. I'm gonna go with him."

I must have had quite the expression on my face because she squeezed my arm gently in what I assumed was supposed to be a reassuring manner. If that was its purpose, it sure didn't do its job. I was frozen in place, completely dumbfounded as he encircled his arm around her shoulders possessively and walked away, leaving me in the pouring rain.

"I'll see you in class," she said looking back at me, apologetically.

A whirlwind of anger, frustration, jealousy, and hurt racked my brain. It was fuel by a mixture of rational and irrational thoughts. Out of all of them, the one that hurt me the most was watching her walk away with him; her choosing him over me. Granted, she probably didn't see it that way…but I did.

I couldn't force myself to be in close proximity to Jasper, so instead of going to my first class, I walked off school property. I hiked into the woods and didn't stop. I didn't have a particular destination in mind. I only stopped when I crossed a familiar scent.

"I don't get worse with age, my friend. Couldn't sneak up on me, then, and you can't do it now," I said aloud. Garrett chuckled as he came out of the shadows. "What, are you stalking me?"

"Truthfully, I didn't think about it like that, but yes. Carlisle went to the hospital, Esme had errands, and the rest are at school. I was curious about the school and happened to witness your little spat with Jasper." I ran my tongue over my teeth, not uttering a word. "I thought you were trying to keep a low profile."'

"He was being aggressive toward Alice. My reaction was instinctual; a reflex."

"I thought you had better control than that," he deadpanned.

"I did too," I confessed. "But every time I'm around Alice, I act like a pup. When it comes to her, everything is new. I don't know what to expect." Garrett nodded. I knew he was trying to understand, but he hadn't yet met his mate. He couldn't empathize with me completely.

After a moment of silence, Garrett spoke. "She feels something for you, you know."

"How do you know?"

"I've known her and Jasper a long time and not once has she ever shown a sense of protectiveness and possession like she displayed for you this morning."

"Yeah, but she also happens to think I'm a fragile human, and you're a red-eyed vamp. I'd be protective too."

"It may have been a factor, but it wouldn't explain the possessiveness. She came across very territorial."

"Aren't vampires always territorial?" I questioned.

"Probably not quite as much as dogs," he teased. I broke into a small smile, but it quickly faded when I remembered the turn of events.

"She chose Jasper. Anything she feels is purely platonic and second to him. She feels nothing more."

"I believe she does. She just hasn't let herself realize how strongly, yet," Garrett mused. And then I saw the face…the face he always made when he was about to get us into trouble.

"No," I immediately objected.

"What?" he feigned innocence.

"Don't pretend like you're not plotting anything. I'm not buying it. I know that look."

"But I know it will help you in the long run." I groaned and started to walk past him. "Hear me out," he followed. "What if we force Alice to realize her feelings for you?"

"I'm not gonna force her to do anything, Garrett. Especially, since these said feelings are only speculations on your behalf. You don't know anything for sure."

"Then give me a chance to prove it to you," he stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

I sighed and wiped my hand down my face, "What did you have in mind?" Victory spread across his expression.

"All we have to do is make her jealous," he stated simply.

"Jealous? How?"

"You and I," he answered shortly again.

"No," I quickly dismissed the idea. "She'd never go for it. She knows I'm gay."

"I'm not saying we should act like we are sleeping together," I momentarily cringed. He ignored me and continued, "We just need to be together."

"Come again?"

"I say that we should not hide the fact that we are friends. You know, be attached at the hip, so to speak. That way I can show you just how territorial Alice is with you. Eventually, she'll admit how strong her feelings are and hopefully, act on them." My expression remained skeptical. "Let's just try it. If she doesn't feel anything for you, like you say, then nothing will change. We aren't lying to her. We are only going to be out in the open about our friendship."

"What about the rest of the Cullens? I imagine they will give you quite the inquisition."

"Let me deal with that. You just wait and see how your soulmate reacts."

I remained silent for several moments. "Ok."

_God I hope I don't regret this._

* * *

I returned to school after skipping my first class and went through the motions until lunch came around. I sat with my usual little human group and watched as the Cullens grabbed their lunches and made their way to their table. Alice was, of course, right at Jasper's side. She turned her head in my direction, but kept her eyes glued to the floor. It was as if she wanted to look at me, but couldn't bring herself to do it.

Jasper, on the other hand, looked straight at me with hard eyes. He gave me one of the smuggest smirks I had ever seen. So I'm sure I caught him off guard when I smiled right back. Sure, I had to imagine tearing off his lower jaw to even muster up that smile, but it paid off when I saw his expression fall into a scowl.

I was so pleased with the rise I got out of him, that I didn't notice the other vampire headed my way. I heard the chair next to me pull out and turned to see the most annoying of leeches taking a seat.

"Hello, Bella."

"Edward," I forcibly acknowledged him. I waited for him to explain why he was disturbing me during my lunch hour. He greeted everyone at the table, but everyone seemed as speechless as I was at his presence. He offered no explanation and began to push his food around his plate.

Mike was the first to speak up. "So, no offense, but why are you sitting here? Did they kick you out of table?" He looked annoyed that Jessica was paying more attention to Edward than to him.

"Oh, no, I was actually here to get an answer from Bella about our date," Edward turned to me.

_Is he serious? How many times do I have to say "no"?_

"I thought I gave you an answer," I deadpanned.

"It wasn't the correct one," he gave me a crooked smile. _Persistent son of a bitch._

"I thought you were gay?" Mike chimed in.

"Yes, I am. See, Edward? Mike only needs to be told once about my sexual orientation." Mike blushed a deep red.

I saw a flash of frustration in the bloodsucker's face, but he quickly composed himself.

"I refuse to take 'no' for an answer."

"Well, 'no' is the only answer you're getting from me."

"Bella—"

"Seriously, Edward, you have to do this now?" _Go away!_ For a moment, I wished he could read my mind so that he could see all the violent ways I was picturing removing him from that seat.

"Bella, don't be rude," Jessica jumped in, and then proceeded to babble on to him about something. He was unable to get another word in. _Probably the one time that I am actually thankful for Jessica's big mouth._

Alice was watching our exchange from her table. She was looking back and forth between Edward and I. When she realized I was looking at her, she mouthed "I'm sorry". I answered with curt nod. I continued eating my food and silently hoped Garrett knew what he was talking about.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I met with the pixie vamp in gym. It had been so long since she had been in a class with me that I forgot how adorable she looked, even in workout clothes.

"Hey, Bella," she walked up to me, hesitantly. "I'm sorry about this morning…"

"Don't even worry about it." I kept Garrett's plan in mind. "You chose the more important of the two."

"He is not more important than you."

"Then the one you love more. Whatever. It's ok. Shouldn't expect more than that." Alice's face fell. I immediately felt bad. "No, you're not allowed to frown. That's all I've seen from you for weeks," I shook my finger at her. I could see her fighting a smile that was tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You're not going to give me a smile? Are you sure?" I inched closer to her.

As predicted, she shook her head defiantly. I grinned as I quickly bent down and swept her legs out from under her. She squealed as I threw her over my shoulder.

"Put me down!" she screamed and flailed about. Obviously, she wasn't using her full strength, but that first kick she threw after I caught her off guard got me right in the ribs. _I'm sure I have a lovely bruise there at the moment_.

"Are you gonna smile?"

"Yes! Yes!" she laughed musically.

I was about to set her down when my own legs went out from under me. I instinctively held onto Alice tighter as we were both thrown over someone else's shoulder. If it wasn't obvious who it was from just the icy cold grip, the booming laugh gave it away.

"Emmett!" We both yelled.

He continued to laugh as he put us down, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

For the warm-up, we ran laps around the gym. Alice was called over by the teacher to probably discuss her absences, so Emmett stuck by my side, as usual.

"So," he began. "I heard you got into it with my brother, Jasper, this morning." I acknowledged his statement with a simple nod, but avoided his gaze. "I'm impressed. Most people are about as scared of him as they are of me."

"Psh, please, you're not scary," I played it off.

"Hey, I can be scary," he whined, seemingly offended. I laughed in response.

Emmett suddenly stopped in front of me with a serious look on his face. He stood up straighter, looming over me, and puffed out his chest a bit. _I'm sure to a human, he would most likely trigger a flight response, but I refuse to be intimidated._ I mimicked his stance and stared right back. He raised his eyebrow at me before giving me an approving smile.

"I am impressed. You're a tough little chick." His face turned into a frown for a moment. "I just hope you know your limits."

* * *

By the end of the day, the lack of sleep had me running on fumes. The tiniest vampire gave me a ride home after school. I gave her a quick goodbye before heading inside and collapsing face-first onto my bed. Not a minute later, I slipped into a deep slumber.

I awoke four hours later by a deep voice calling my name and something hard poking my shoulder.

"Bella. Bella, wake up." I groaned in response and peeled my eyes open. It took a moment for my mind to cut through the sleepy haze to register who was in front of me.

"Ugh, Garrett, what do you want?" I complained as I turned my head away from him.

"What, are you tired?"

"Are you serious? I was out with you all last night. I hadn't slept in almost 36 hours. What do you want?"

"Oh, I just came to visit you," he answered nonchalantly.

"Come back tomorrow," I buried my head underneath the pillows.

"We are supposed to be attached at the hip, remember? Besides, I can't. I told Alice I was coming over here." At the mention of her name, I perked up. _I'm pathetic._

"What did she say?"

"She just asked why I was coming over here. I told her that we had such a pleasant conversation this morning, and you had invited me to come back later this evening. She kept repeating it back to me in disbelief. Sounded like she was hurt that you invited me and not her."

"Let's not make any assumptions," I sat up. "Even though I'm skeptical about this whole thing, it'll probably get my hopes up eventually, and I don't want that." Garrett rolled his eyes at me. "How do you know she's not gonna come spy on us?"

"Jasper doesn't let her leave his sight. And he's just happy right now that someone other than Alice is occupying your time."

"Hmm, then maybe he can call back his pet, Edward," I muttered.

"Edward?"

"Yup. He's still persistent about going on a date. I don't know how to get it across to him without dismembering him…especially since that's all I think about when he's around."

"I know he can be a bit much," Garrett chuckled.

"A bit? Seriously? If it wasn't for his pungent stench, I would think he was outside right now."

"Hmm, I wouldn't be too sure," he mused. "Do you want me to do a quick check around the perimeter?"

"Be my guest," I gestured toward the door.

Garrett vanished in a flash giving me a moment to head to the bathroom. My reflection displayed my fatigued state. My hair was in complete disarray, and my eyes were still bloodshot from being awoken too soon. I splashed some cold water on my face in a feeble attempt to wake myself up, and I combed out my thick hair.

When I came out, my old friend was back. He was standing next to my dresser with the old box in his hands that held my father's ring. Immediately, I snatched it out of his hands and growled at him, baring my canines. He took a step back and held up his hands in surrender. I relaxed, realizing he meant no real harm. Garrett was always driven by his curiosity; it wasn't something that should have surprised me.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that," I apologized.

"No, the fault is mine. I've never really had a sense of boundaries."

"Yeah, but that's the point. I've always known that about you," I took a deep breath and opened the box toward him. He was hesitant, but peered inside. "It was my father's. He gave it to me right before he died. It's the only thing I have left of my parents."

"Well then that explains the hostility."

"It's the sign of an Alpha, just as the Volturi wear the black and red robes. It's worn by the leaders."

"That explains why I never listen to you. You are a type of royalty," he teased. I glared at him.

I stared at the ring for a moment longer before placing it back in the drawer.

"How did your parents die?" Garrett asked tenderly.

I clenched my jaw, "The Volturi found us. I escaped." Garrett said no more, sensing the sensitivity of the subject.

He kept looking around, touching nearly everything he saw. He never could keep his hands to himself. Luckily, my possessions were few in number. At around ten o'clock, I all but shoved him out the door. I needed sleep. Though, this time, I actually got ready for bed. I crawled into bed, clean and in pjs.

* * *

Several weeks went by and Garrett and I continued to spend more time together; several days a week, in fact. He increasingly reported on the Cullens' suspicions. For obvious reasons, he kept his distance from the mind reader, stating that he only replayed dull moments of our visits together to keep him at bay. There were times, though, that he would "subtly" excuse himself when he was visiting me to go outside "for some fresh air". That usually meant that he would go confront Edward or even sometimes Jasper when they were stalking. Alice didn't really act any different towards me, but according to Garrett, she was getting moodier and moodier with him with each passing day.

Although I didn't really like the growing tensions, I greatly appreciated my friend's presence. He even helped me with my last full moon shift. He saved quite a bit of my furniture during that time, though I did manage to rip his arm off at the shoulder. I apologized profusely for that the next morning, but by that time, he had already reattached it and didn't have a scratch on him. Garrett asked me questions about mandatory shifts tirelessly for the next three days straight. I didn't feel like I owed him after that.

One Saturday afternoon, Garrett and I were tossing a Frisbee in front of the house. He had originally bought the Frisbee as a "dog" joke, but soon became one of our favorite activities to do during our never-ending conversations.

"Don't you get tired of constantly having to hold back all the time around humans?" he asked.

"Of course I do. You know how competitive I am."

"Aren't you afraid of your reflexes dulling, Lassie?" With that, Garrett threw the disc with ferocious velocity…at my head. I caught it two inches from the tip of my nose, calculating that the force behind it would have easily shattered the bones in a human's hand upon impact. Had it hit a human's head, the damage would have been devastating, if not fatal.

"Not at all," I smirked. "Though I'm glad to know you're willing to test them, John Smith." I threw it back to him with equal force.

He caught it with ease and laughed, "What use am I if I don't constantly challenge you?"

Then, without warning, Garrett charged at me and tackled me to the ground. He successfully knocked the wind out of me and bruised my collarbone in the process. A growl rumbled in my chest. I had two days till the full moon. I could beat him easily, but a gut feeling had me resisting the temptation to top him.

Less than two seconds later, a heard the purr of Alice's engine pulling up my driveway. Panicked, I moved to push Garrett off of me, but he wouldn't budge. He gave me a wily grin and a wink.

"Hey, you two," I saw Alice walk up, taking in our position. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all. We were just fooling around," Garrett answered with a smile as he got up off of me. He extended his hand to help me up. I shot him a confused look before taking it.

_What is he doing? I thought we were pretending to be just friends._

"What's up, Alice? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just feel like I don't see much of you outside of P.E. anymore so I figured we could hang out today. That is, if you're okay with it."

"Of course, you know you are always welcome here. Come on inside. I was just going to start making lunch," I smiled as I led the way back inside my little home. Even though I wasn't looking at the vampires behind me, I could feel the tension emitting between them. I rolled my eyes, knowing that Garrett was probably just loving it.

Once inside, as always, he plopped on the couch making himself at home. Although this time, he was making a show of it and shot me a subtle look to play along.

"So, you guys must have really hit it off. You spend so much time together," Alice said to neither of us in particular. The colonial-dated vampire shrugged, wanting me to take the reins.

"We surprisingly have a lot in common," I rummaged through the freezer and grabbed a small cut of deer meat. "Anyone want a burger?"

The vamps collectively answered with a predictable "no, thank you" as I pulled out the rest of the ingredients. No, the unexpected part came when they both asked, "Do you need any help?"

Alice shot him a bizarre look, "You cook?"

Garrett laughed at her reaction. "Isabella's been teaching me a few things. I didn't know that you could either, Alice?"

"I've picked up a few things from Esme," she was visibly irked and I decided to press on a bit more.

"Hey, Garrett, do you know where the burger buns are?" I winked, knowing full well they were in the cupboard.

"In the cupboard with the pasta," he got up and walked over to show me. "Here you go," he smiled and winked. He knew I was playing along finally, and he was showing me the bad reactions she was so clearly displaying.

As always, any discomfort Alice was in of any kind, I wanted to remedy. "Hey, do you wanna chop up some lettuce and tomato for me, please?" I asked her. She beamed at me and quickly took her place next to me as I handed her the knife and vegetables. Garrett merely rolled his eyes at me, knowing I couldn't leave her out of the loop for too long.

"Well, I actually have some things to take care of so I'll be taking my leave now," the male vampire announced.

"Like what?" I blurted, realizing too late that I shouldn't be so blasé. Garrett, as always, had my back and rolled with my mistake.

"Things," he answered. "You know I do have a life outside of hanging out with you all the time."

"Could have fooled me," I retorted sarcastically.

His response was to wrap me up in a bear hug (not as tight as Emmett's) and swing me around. At that moment, I heard something I wasn't expecting to hear: a growl. Obviously, it didn't come from me, and being that I was pressed up against Garrett's chest, it wasn't coming from him.

It came from Alice.

He almost immediately set me down and dismissed himself to both of us. The tension in the air vanished almost completely as I was left with the female vampire. We started to carry out a normal conversation of no importance when half way through my sentence, Alice interrupted me.

"I thought you were gay? What's going on between you and Garrett?"

I paused, considering my answer, "I am gay, and we are just really good friends, that's all."

"He's constantly over here, and the way you two interact it makes me feel like there's something more going on."

I was growing frustrated with her. It was clear she was jealous. Whether or not that had to be from actual feelings she had for me, I was unsure. _Why can't she just stop pulling me around? I can't be her second choice._

"Maybe he's always here because he really does want to spend time with me. He doesn't have to wait till he gets upset with his significant other to come over. And the way he and I interact is no different from how we would interact with each other, and there is nothing going on between us, is there?"

* * *

I was lying awake in bed that night going over what I had said. I'd like to blame it on the impending full moon, but that wasn't entirely true.

_Yup, I finally snapped._


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I didn't go to school that Monday. After the first full moon I spent in Forks, I realized it was easier just to keep to myself for the twenty-four hours prior to the mandatory shift. Even with Garrett's help, I still wasn't shifting as much as I needed to, and the last one was about a week ago.

Since my last encounter with Alice a couple days ago, I had been a little on edge. I tried calling her a few times, but they went unanswered. According to Garrett, she had been ignoring him too. I told him what I had said to her, and he covered his face with his hand. He had told me that he didn't blame me for what I said, but he didn't blame her for leaving either.

I was growing more and more annoyed with the whole situation, and my old friend was sensing that. He suggested that he find a way to lure the Cullen clan away tonight, instead of keeping watch over me during this full moon. I agreed; I feared in my exasperation I would tear him up more than last time.

As a result, I spent all day curled up on the couch, clutching my father's ring and submerged in solitude. I thought of my departed parents and the mate I couldn't be with. My only saving grace was Garrett. Who knows what would've happened by now if he didn't show up.

Nausea hit me, as expected, and by dusk, I was on my knees worshiping the porcelain gods. Every so often, the sounds of my heaving were drowned out by the loud thunderstorm going on outside. My temperature skyrocketed and I reached over to turn on the cold shower. Out of nowhere, there was a knock at my front door.

_Oh God. Go away._

The knock sounded again so I quickly popped in my green contacts and rinsed out my mouth with mouthwash. Upon opening the door, I was relieved and horrified at who was standing in front of me.

"Alice," I managed to whisper. The pixie vampire was standing on my porch. Her hair and jacket were barely holding any beads of water, telling me that she used her inhuman speed to stay out of the rain. _She's so beautiful._ Her facial experssion, stern at first, melted into concern as she took in my appearance.

"Oh Bella, you look terrible," she stepped forward and cupped my face. Her ice cold hand felt soothing against my scorching hot flesh. My wolf, having more control over me at the moment, placed my hand over hers, closed my eyes, and leaned into her touch. Too soon, she withdrew her hand and raised the back of it to my forehead. "And you're burning up. Do you need to go to the hospital?" _She's so cute when she worries…well, when she worries about me._

My wolf was joyously basking in the presence of our mate, not registering her words. Suddenly, the bones in my hand that was holding the door open broke backward with an awful cracking noise. It took everything I had not to scream out or make a face. The excruciating pain snapped me out of my loving daze, bringing me back to the seriousness of the situation.

_What is she doing here? Why isn't she with Garrett?_

"What was that?" Alice asked, not being able to see my disfigured fingers.

I took a moment to try and rise above the pain shooting up my arm before answering. "What are you doing here?" my voice sounded harsher than I intended.

She took a step back, "I noticed you weren't at school today, and I wanted to apologize for the way I've been treating you –" _CRACK!_ The bones in my hand snapped back in place. The sound was loud enough to make her stop talking. I focused on holding my breath and staring straight at her.

_I have to get her out of here._

"You don't hear that?" she leaned around me to peek inside.

"Look, my head is pounding, and I'm really out of it. Can we just do whatever this is tomorrow?"

Right as the words left my mouth, I felt something else wanting to leave as well. I left Alice at the door and ran straight for my bathroom. My stomach had been emptied long before, and all that remained was stomach acid. My nose and throat burned as I spewed it into the toilet.

I felt cold hands gather my hair back and start rubbing my neck. It was unbelievably soothing, but I was scared out of my mind all at the same time. _The last thing I need is for my body to start shifting in front of her. It's a miracle that it was just my fingers behind the door that distorted._

"You should go, Alice," I mumbled pathetically with my body still bowed over the toilet.

"Are you done throwing up?" she asked, ignoring me. I just nodded in response. "C'mon, let's get you into bed." She wrapped right arm around her shoulders and took hold of my waist. From this position, the top of her head was just right under mine. The smell of her hair filled my nose, almost completely knocking out any other scent. It was like a drug to my system making everything else hazy.

Despite our size difference, Alice handled my weight with ease. Her strength should have been no surprise to me, but I still found myself in awe. She just always seems so dainty and delicate; it's easy to forget she's anything but.

The pixie laid me down in my bed and sat beside me, gently running her fingers through my hair. My joints were starting to feel like they were on fire causing me to panic internally.

"Thank you. I'm okay now. You should go home," I practically pleaded with her.

"I can't just leave you."

"You have before," I retorted sternly.

She stared at me with a half angry, half guilty expression. It mirrored my own emotions: angry at her for constantly putting me last, yet guilty for upsetting her.

"I told you I came here to apologize. Jasper–"

"Ah, yes, Jasper," my teeth sharpened at the mention of his name. "Tell me, does he know you're here or did you have to sneak away? This isn't the first time you've apologized. I'm not some toy that you can just decide to play with when the bully isn't around. When you realize that, you know where to find me, until then, there's the door."

My eyes weld up with tears I refused to shed. What started off as a need to get her away from me to save my identity turned into a need to keep her away for my sanity. I couldn't handle the whiplash relationship we developed. I was tired of the guessing games.

She looked at me with such a deep sadness that I was sure she would have cried if she could have. Without saying another word, she got up and walked out of my room. A few moments later, I heard the front door shut softly and the hum of her Porsche's engine leave the driveway. The tears that wouldn't fall before were streaming down my face now. The pain I felt in my heart was far greater than any other pain I had felt before. My wolf wanted to desperately go after her, but logically, I knew this was for the best.

I got out of the bed and paced back and forth in my room. My thoracic cavity exploded forward and collapsed back in the next second, knocking me on the floor. My wolf was beginning to take over. Heartache turned into anger and frustration as I held onto the dresser to pull myself up. Once on my feet, I threw it to the floor as I stormed out of the room toward the front door. I tried to regain control and gripped onto the couch, fighting with the beast not to go after Alice like I knew it wanted to.

A sudden force threw me as all my bones began breaking simultaneously; changing back and forth between my human and wolf form. I ripped off a couch cushion and bit down, screaming with pain and frustration. My claws grew as I dragged them across the floor, leaving deep scratch marks in the wood.

I fought an unwinnable battle for another hour before the full moon finally reached the highest point in the sky, and I shifted completely. The beast now had the upper hand as I raced through the trees toward the Cullen home. When I got closer, I climbed up the branches of a tree and approached the house from the treetops. I hid amongst the leaves and focused my senses on the house. I couldn't smell or hear anyone in the house. In the driveway, I could see two different sets of tire tracks in the mud: a departure and return.

I circled the perimeter of the house and came across Alice's scent heading north. Finding her became top priority. I didn't even know what I would do once I found her. I just wanted to see her. At the moment, that was the only thing that mattered to the beast. The scent trail was still really fresh, maybe ten or fifteen minutes old so I knew she couldn't be too far…well by supernatural standards.

I sprinted at top speed, and after about twenty miles, the pixie vampire came into my sight. She was standing in a defensive stance opposite two shifters; one in wolf form, one in human. I hid up in the trees moving toward them slowly, but by the looks of them, I could have walked right up to them and they probably wouldn't have noticed.

"—in Alaska. They'll be back sometime tomorrow," Alice sounded frustrated.

"You said you had told the new bloodsucker the boundaries, yet we can smell him on our land," spat the shifter I could recognize as Paul. He was standing behind a brown wolf with a grayish face and was shaking with anger; dangerously close to shifting himself.

"We did!" she argued back, but neither of the shifters appeared to be listening.

"In fact," he continued, "we tracked more than one of your trails. You've broken the treaty, Cullen. "

With those words, the gray-masked wolf lunged forward at Alice. She turned to run away, but the wolf managed to snatch her ankle and pull her down to him before she could escape. The wolf snapped at her from a top position as she tried her best to keep the massive jaws away. My vision flooded with red as I dove straight down from the trees into them. I tackled the wolf off of my mate and into a thick tree, shaking the trapped raindrops in its leaves free.

"Jared!" Paul exclaimed and instantly transformed into his silver wolf form that was slightly bigger than the other. I quickly moved over to Alice, who was still lying on the forest floor in shock. Crouching protectively over her on all fours, I snarled at Paul. Jared, the brown wolf, stumbled by his side, trying to shake off the hit. Their body masses were much larger than mine, but I knew I was stronger and more experienced, especially tonight on the full moon.

Paul launched himself forward first, knocking me from my position over Alice. He managed to sink his jaws deep into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his neck and threw him over my hip, but I was struck again by Jared. I found myself in the same position Alice was in, with him snapping at my head from above. I balled the fur of his chest in my fists, pulling him forward and biting down on his neck, his blood dripping down my muzzle. Jared howled in agony and I kicked him off.

I saw the silver wolf coming at me at from the left side, and I quickly swung at him, digging my claws across the side of his face. Paul whined and began pawing at his snout. I used the opportunity to throw a front kick at his ribs, slamming him into Jared.

I crouched low again making all the fur on my body stand straight up and growled and snarled menacingly, baring my long, sharp canines. The shifters backed off and darted deeper into the forest.

I turned to the spot I had left Alice, but she wasn't there. I looked up in the branches of the trees and spotted her watching from high above. She had a scared look on her face when she realized I found her. Not wanting her to flee, I laid on my belly like a canine and rested my head on my front claws. I let out a soft whine to show her I meant no harm.

Alice looked at me skeptically, but also curiously. We stared at each other under the moonlight for what seemed like hours. A plethora of thoughts were swarming my head; the most prominent hoping that she doesn't realize who I am.

"Why did you save me?" she whispered. "Do I know you?" I stayed silent, not daring to answer any questions she had for me. I had already risked enough.

_But the shifters could have killed her if you didn't step in. Then where would you be?_

Multiple howls erupted from the west. It sounded like more than half the pack was coming this way. Alice must have understood that too because she immediately bolted northward. I took off in the trees after her, keeping a short distance, not wanting to leave any tracks, and I needed to make sure she wasn't going to be ambushed. The shifters could probably still follow her scent from this altitude, but I knew mine wasn't going to be an issue.

My scent was faint in human form. The only one I knew that could actually really notice it was Alice, although, that wasn't a worry to me now. Just like my physical being, my scent also transforms into a wilder, more natural pheromone, so I wasn't worried about her recognizing it. It is just as faint as it is when I'm human which helped a lot during the genocide. However, I was sure Alice had no trouble detecting it if she could easily catch my human scent.

* * *

The tiny vampire stopped soon after the rain started turning into snow. My wet coat frosted over in the icy air. The rain hadn't done a good job of washing away the blood that had caked on to my fur after the fight so now it was frozen on the tips. I knelt down in front of her on one knee to be closer at eye level.

"Thank you for saving me, and continuing to make sure I was safe," she said softly. I nodded once, showing her I understood. "I'm going to go find my family."

She outstretched her hand as if to pet my head. Normally, I wouldn't condone such an action, but my beast was starving for any attention from Alice. I had been depriving us for a long time. I leaned my head in to meet her hand. She let out a breath I didn't realize she was holding and softly ran her fingers through my fur...too similar to when she was putting me in bed earlier.

Abruptly, I stood up and headed down south again, not looking back.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

For the rest of the night, I thought about going to the wolves and revealing myself, but I figured that would create more problems than solutions for me.

Yes, I figured that they would start a war with the Cullens.

Yes, I believed as ill-tempered and untrusting as they are, they would think that I was on the Cullens' side.

_Am I? No, just on Alice's. And Garrett's. And probably Emmett's…and maybe Esme's._

_Definitely not Jasper's or Edward's._

It was a challenge trying to stay out of the pack's path on the way home. From the looks of it, they had split off into twos probably searching for me since I'm sure they could track in which direction Alice headed in. The wolves wouldn't be able to tell which way I went, much less if I left the territory. I'm sure they were even more frustrated since the rain had turned into snowfall during the course of the night, erasing any and all tracks.

I waited till I was completely alone before I shifted and climbed down a tree. I ran up to my door, buck ass nude, and used the spare key I had hidden underneath one of the floorboards of the porch.

First thing I did was head to my bathroom for a shower. I noticed my shoulder was a little sore and upon running my fingers over the spot, I could feel a considerable-sized, abnormal bump just below collarbone on my right shoulder. When I squeezed it, the bump was hard and felt angled. I rolled my eyes and groaned.

_Great. Something must have lodged itself in my tissues again._

It wasn't the first time this happened. Sometimes, my wounds heal too quickly for me to realize I still have foreign debris stuck inside. The consequence: I have to reopen the area and dig it out.

I grow out the claws on my left hand and drag my nail along the middle of the bump. With my thumb and my index finger, I fished around inside the cut, blood oozing down. I felt a hard, sharp object; I grit my teeth and pulled it out. I washed it off in the sink, under the running water.

The object was ivory white and jagged. I held it closer to my face, and after a moment, I recognized what it was.

_A tooth?_

_Yup, a piece of Paul's tooth. Probably happened when he clamped onto my shoulder._

I tossed the tooth in the trash and hopped in the shower, scrubbing away my blood on my chest and remnants of the night. I closed my eyes and put my face directly under the warm water.

_What am I gonna do? My whole world has been turned upside-down. Should I just walk away?_

A low, but strong growl erupted from deep within. _Guess that's a "no"._ My choices were so limited. I was getting really tired of feeling conflicted all the time. One thing was for sure: I couldn't afford to play games anymore.

* * *

Knocking at the front door woke me up some time later that evening. I dragged myself out of bed and to the front door. My face fell into an annoyed expression when I saw him standing there.

"I gave you a key. Why do you bother knocking?"

"What did you do, Bella? Are you crazy?" Garrett pushed passed me to get inside. "The whole Cullen clan now knows there's 'a werewolf in the area'," he made air quotes. I swore under my breath, though, I couldn't be all that surprised. "What happened?" he demanded.

"What happened? I'll tell you what happened. Alice came over to check on me last night, and I almost shifted in front of her! The real question is why the hell wasn't she with you?"

"She was! We were all running together, and the next moment, she wasn't there. I barely managed to convince Jasper not to go after her. It's not like I could just pick up the phone and call you. Now, answer my question."

I sat on the couch and took a deep breath. "Alice came over, and I had to get rid of her. I told her she had to make up her mind, and to leave me alone until then."

"Bella—"

"My wolf didn't like it," I continued. "After I shifted, the beast wanted to go after her, and seeing it has more control on the full moon, it did. When I caught up to her, she was attacked by shifters. I'm sure you know the rest."

"Jasper wanted to call the Volturi immediately."

"Shocking."

"Carlisle is hesitant to get them involved. He said there was no need to send for executioners after it saved Alice's life." That took me by surprise. I was not expecting the leader of the vampire clan to be so merciful…though that's what I was mostly told about his nature. "She agreed with him, by the way," Garrett added.

"I don't care."

"Yes, you do. You can pretend to take that apathetic approach with Alice, but don't even try with me. I don't buy it."

"What about the wolves?" I continued, ignoring his comment. "How did you even get back into the territory without getting attacked?"

"Carlisle had a meeting with the Alpha. Turns out the wolves that attacked and accused Alice, weren't on orders, but there were vampires that were recently on their territory. I had to meet them in order to prove it wasn't me. They are some big puppies. I'm shocked you took two on by yourself."

"They still lack experience," I replied simply.

"Regardless, they're now saying that they're on the hunt for you. Even though the attack on Alice was unjustified, their attack on you wasn't. They don't like unidentified creatures on or around their land. "

"What the Cullens didn't tell them what I was?" I asked sarcastically.

"You know what I mean, Bella. You're going to have to be more careful…especially since Jasper suspects it's you."

_Shit._

"Did he say that outright?"

"Yup, no one else voiced his opinion, but they didn't completely dismiss it, either."

"What did you say?" I asked.

"All I said was that I would have noticed by now if something was amiss about you, but Jasper doesn't trust me anymore. I've gotten that vibe from him since we started spending time together."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he goes over Carlisle's head and contacts the Volturi." Garrett didn't disagree with me. "If that happens, I want you to leave the area. I don't need you on their hit list too."

"Please, authority has never scared me, you know that," he waved it off.

"This isn't about rebelling against authority, Garrett. I mean it. You get wind of them coming this way, you get the hell out. Understand?" After a momentary staredown, he nodded.

Once we got the seriousness of the situation out of the way, Garrett talked nonstop about the Cullens' "cousins", the Denali coven, up north. He said there were five of them, four females and one male. He said they also didn't drink the blood of humans. The only two things that kept going through my mind: (1) there are at least a dozen golden-eyed vamps running around, and I've only just now come across them, and (2) if they join forces and come after me, I'm so screwed.

He also kept talking about one of the sisters, Kate. He went on and on about how amazing she was. Apparently, she could emit a high voltage all over her body. It was painful enough to put you on your ass, according to Garrett. He would know. Being the overly curious buffoon that he is, he tested it out. "She's an extraordinary woman," he says.

I urged him to go and visit her. He said he was already planning to leave tomorrow when I go to school and not sure when he'll be back. It's gonna be weird to not have him around for awhile, but I would rather he go and pursue his romantic interest. Who knows, maybe she's his mate, and they can go live happy ever after.

_Lucky him._

* * *

During school the following day, I made it a point to ask people for their notes for the days that I missed. I obviously didn't have any real plans to look over them, but it would look wrong if I didn't look somewhat lost in the classes, especially since the semester was coming to a close soon.

The vampires did well to ignore me throughout the day…until lunchtime came that is. I got to the cafeteria a little later than usual since I had to stay after class to go over my make-up assignments. By the time I got there, my usual group was already seated at the table, as were most of the Cullens, including Alice.

I just finished paying for my piled tray of food when someone shoulder-checked me so hard that all my food went crashing to the floor. I ground my teeth together and turned to see none other than my mate's fucking boyfriend.

"What the hell is your problem?" I stepped right up to him and got in his face. I didn't dare put my hands on him…yet.

"I don't take kindly to things in my way," Jasper's eyes were black, cold, and calculating.

Alice came over quickly and wedged herself between us. To be honest, I was so angry and transfixed on Jasper that I wouldn't have noticed she was there had she not put her hand on my chest and pushed me back slightly. Her height didn't help.

"Enough, both of you," she urged. "Jasper let's go. C'mon, don't make a scene."

"I know what you are," he whispered. "I'll expose you one way or another."

I glared back at him, trying to convey confusion in my eyes. "You're crazy," I dismissed them both.

I tried to pick up as much as I could of the mess. Alice even tried to help me, but I simply waved her off and told her not to bother. A couple cafeteria staff members who saw the incident came to mop up the mess and gave me another plate of food. It didn't have the exact amount I had, but it was better than nothing.

"What was that all about?" Angela asked back at the table.

"I don't know," I answered, still fuming. "He was muttering something about exposing me."

"I thought you already came out as gay," Angela joked. It actually made me smile a bit. _I knew I'd like her._

"Don't worry about it, Bella. They all can be jerks sometimes," Eric piped in.

I could feel stares burning through the back of my head, and I could bet I knew who from.

"Yea," I nodded. "They can be."

* * *

I had done my best to keep away from the Cullens after the confrontation. Whenever they passed by, I kept my eyes straight ahead. By the end of the week, I even forced myself to pair up with Mike during gym class.

My wolf was pissed about staying away from its mate, and it was definitely making it known. Everything I ate would be regurgitated in a matter of minutes. Several times a night, I would wake up in a cold sweat from dreaming about Alice. I had a constant headache, making it difficult to focus on anything from the screaming pain. Within just three or four days, I was already growing weak and lethargic from lack of food and sleep. I had dark circles under my eyes and intense body shakes.

_I have to tell Alice._

_I have to tell her what I am. If she finds out what I am before I get to tell her, she could end up resenting me for it. Jasper is sniffing around too close for comfort, and the odds of them figuring it out rise every day._

The only place I knew I could speak to Alice without her hovercraft boyfriend around was during gym class. Alice had definitely respected my wishes about keeping her distance from me. I never saw her in the locker room. She would always be dressed and out the door by the time I even reached my locker. Today was no different.

As soon as I walked through the doors onto the courts, Mike came running up, happy as ever to play the part of my gym partner.

"Hey, Bella!" Mike exclaimed way too overeager, but I wasn't really paying attention to him. My sights were set on the two golden-eyed vamps in the corner.

"Listen, can you hang on a sec?" I told him and headed straight to my target. They both seemed shocked to see me heading toward them.

"You finally over being grumpy and ignoring us, Bella?" asked Emmett. I answered him with an uncomfortable smile. I felt kinda bad. I actually liked him.

"I'm sorry, genuinely," I apologized. He gave me a small smile and a nod. "Emmett, can I speak to Alice in private for a moment?" I knew full well he could hear our conversation regardless of where he stood in the gym. The request was merely a formality.

As soon as he walked away, I turned to look at Alice. She hadn't said a word since I walked over…and it kind of worried me. _Was it already too late?_

"First off, I wanted to apologize for the way I've treated you. No matter the reasons, it was cruel of me to turn you away when you were only trying to help." She pursed her lips and looked down. "I was wondering if you could come over today after school. There are a lot of things I need to talk to you about."

Alice glanced up at me and nodded slowly. "I can't come over till later in the evening, though."

I immediately told her it was fine. I just assumed she needed to hunt since the gold of her eyes were darker than normal.

_I just hope this goes well._

* * *

The second I arrived, I noticed a shifter standing on my front porch. I turned off my bike and pulled off my helmet. He seemed surprised to see me. I couldn't lie and say I was too pleased to see him, myself. I recognized him as one of the arrogant ones I went cliff diving with.

_Jared. Oh shit, I hope he hasn't figured out I'm the one who knocked him around…_

I deduced that he couldn't have since he was alone, yet it was that fact that had me even more curious.

_At least he's wearing a damn shirt._

"Hey, Bella, do you live here?"

"Yes, I do. Can I help you, Jared?" I approached him, cautiously. I opened my senses a little wider and tried to be more alert. I had been slacking as of late…which was bad considering how my situation had escalated.

I instantly was assaulted with by the musky wolf's odor…but I was also hit with two different vampire scents; although, I didn't recognize them. Immediately, I figured out why Jared was here. He could smell the vampires too, and the smell seemed to be getting stronger as I moved toward my house.

"Uhh," he looked at the door, "Sam wanted me to tell you that your bike is due for a tune-up at the shop. It's free if you go today. We should go now." He started to walk off my porch.

"Ok well, just let me put my stuff inside." I tried to move passed him.

"No, wait—" I put my hand up to silence him. The lock on my door had been torn off. _They've been in my house._

Infuriated, I pushed passed Jared to get inside. The house reeked of undead leeches. At first glance, the house was empty until a red-eyed vampire walked around the corner. He wore riped, washed-out jeans with no shirt. An old, torn black robe draped over his torso. In his hand, he held an old tin cup, and he was swirling a finger around inside, stirring its contents. I growled low and bared my canines.

"Bella, get out of here," I heard Jared say behind me.

Everything that preceded next happened so fast.

The vampire dunked a few more fingers in the liquid and flicked it at me. At the moment the droplets hit my face, it seared my skin.

_Silver._

The liquid contained melted down silver. I let out a short cry of pain and immediately went to wipe it off my face with my jacket sleeve. I heard a tearing noise behind me right before I was shoved forward with a great force. Jared had shifted. I felt something blow past me, and Jared whined.

When I finally managed to get the silver off my face, I was tackled onto my back. There must have been more than one vampire since I could still hear the shifter fighting at least one off on the porch. The vampire I saw initially had me pinned down and quickly poured a bitter tasting liquid in my mouth. He held my mouth closed, forcing me to swallow it. I panicked, thinking it contained traces of silver as well, but there was no burning pain that followed.

Immediately, I felt woozy; my limbs became heavy as I struggled to push the leech off of me, but he wouldn't budge. I tried and tried to phase, but I couldn't. My vision became slightly blurred; my hearing muffled.

_What's happening to me?_

A second, large and muscular vampire walked in through the doorway. His proportions definitely gave Emmett a run for his money. He was dressed in the same old black robe as the other vamp. I then realized I no longer heard any commotion outside.

"The animal has been dealt with," he announced. I looked past him outside and saw the still wolf on the ground. He was dead.


	17. Chapter 16

'… _I felt woozy; my limbs became heavy as I struggled to push the leech off of me, but he wouldn't budge. I tried and tried to phase, but I couldn't. My vision became blurred; my hearing muffled._

_What's happening to me?...'_

Chapter 16

The leech that had me pinned looked down at me and smiled, wickedly. His teeth gleamed even brighter than his alabaster skin. It was a sharp contrast to his black robe and sinister red eyes. "She's quite a pretty mutt, ay Santiago? I'm sure we can remedy that."

"Fuck you," I spat in his face and threw a punch at his ribs with my free arm. I groaned as pain shot up my right arm when I made contact with his marble-like body. I looked up at him confused and admittedly afraid.

"A little eager to start breaking your bones?" he asked, amused. "Don't worry. I'm sure we will get to that soon enough. And don't think that you'll be healing right up. I gave you a swig of wolfsbane."

My eyes widen, "Impossible."

He answered with an evil smile. "Oh good, you know what that is. The last beast didn't, but that was at least fifty years ago so you can imagine how excited we are to finally catch another one."

"Eh, but this one didn't put up much of a fight, Julius," Santiago piped up.

"You know, you're right. It does look kinda thin and sickly. No matter. Caius doesn't care what condition we turn them over in, just so long as he can rip their beating hearts out of their chests."

My eyes practically bulged out of my head at the mention of Caius' name. He was a member of the Volturi, and not just any member. He specifically put out the kill order on all lycans. He started the genocide against my kind.

Julius laughed out loud, "I love when they're already so well informed!"

He got off of me and picked me up like a rag doll. He sat me down in a chair and told his partner to fetch the chains. They bound my arms and legs to the chair with the chains and an odd, oversized iron collar that had two large silver spikes on the inside directing at my throat. It was probably designed to puncture my windpipe if I shifted. The chains must have been coated with silver as well because it burned when it brushed against my skin, though not as bad as before.

"Too bad silver doesn't have its full effect on lycans when you're on wolfsbane. I enjoy watching your skin sizzle from it," the smaller vampire retrieved a long, shiny hunting blade from a side holster. "Oh well, I hear this is still painful too." Julius dragged the blade across my left cheek, and he was right. The cut itself hurt, but the silver in the blade made it feel like it was soaking the wound in salt and lemon juice. "Stings, doesn't it?" I glared at him, refusing to say a word. He grinned and started twirling the knife around in his hand, carelessly. "I have some questions for you, mutt. I like to know what kind of gift I'm presenting to Caius. A dog's pedigree is very important to him."

Santiago walked over and gripped my left hand in his. "We'll start easy."

"Name?" Julius asked.

I didn't answer, just continued to glare. Santiago slowly squeezed my hand tighter and tighter till I groaned in pain. My pain tolerance wasn't as high as it normally was.

_Wolfsbane seems to make me weaker in almost every way. It trades vulnerability of a long, painful transformation for the physical vulnerability of an average human._

"Name?" he repeated. I clenched my jaw tighter.

He squeezed even tighter. I could feel the bones in my hands snap. I yelled out. When he let go, my hand was throbbing; pain spiking with every pulse. It was already starting to swell.

"Looks like this is going to be more fun than I thought," Julius whispered in my ear from behind.

* * *

Two devastatingly long hours passed before my vampire interrogators finally stopped the beating and torture. Besides the bones in my hand, they snapped my shin bone and the two bones in one of my forearms. They crushed one of my kneecaps. With the silver blade, Julius carved the word "DOG" across my chest, along with other various cuts. My neck had deep burns where they strangled me with the chain. Santiago struck me quite a few times and even separated my ribs with spear-handed strikes. My skin was wet and blistering red from the bucket of silver-laced water they poured over me. Turns out, they ground up silver to a fine powder and mixed it with water. It caused an ongoing burning sensation since the substance remained on my skin and clothes even after the water dried.

It frightened me with how precise and careful they were. Yes, that is in a vampire's nature, but it is also in their nature to get carried away with violence and aggression. They didn't slice any major arteries, constantly gave me sips of pure water, and were careful about my level of consciousness. It made me wonder just how many times they had done this. Regardless, I never answered a single question. I refused to even give them my name. They had to take stop, or else, I would've probably died. I was surprised I hadn't already.

My breathing was shallow, and my vision was fading in and out. The room felt like it was spinning, and I could barely hold my head up at all. My heart was pounding in my chest and I could feel it throughout my injuries. I had no idea what kind of internal damage I had taken, but there was no doubt in my mind that I had some.

Julius wiped off his blade on my jeans and put it away again. "I'm getting pretty thristy, Santiago. How about you?" He must have nodded. I didn't look up. "She'll be fine for a few hours. The wolfsbane needs to flush out before she can even begin healing," I could barely hear him speak. My hearing felt muffled, probably from the numerous blows to the head. Julius pulled my head up and squeezed my cheeks together. "You be a good dog now, Isabella, and stay," he ordered. My heart sank.

_Of course they knew my name this whole time. What else do they know about me?_

I sat there alone, bound to a chair, nearly beaten to death, soaked in blood and watered-down silver. The body of the young shifter was most likely still lying outside, a few yards from my porch, and I was sure I was going to die along with him...

The room was spinning; my eyes grew heavier. I decided to use my last bit of consciousness to utter the words I never could to Alice.

"Alice, I'm sorry for all the lies and the trouble I've caused you. I'm sorry for all the confusion and always pushing you away while I was trying to make sense of things. The truth is simple: you are..." the room grew dark, "…my…" I was too weak. I blacked out.

* * *

A cold hand touched my face. I flinched away a bit.

_They're back._

"Bella, can you hear me? Bella?" The voice sounded like a worried angel.

_I know that angel._

_Alice._

A groan was all I could muster up. My throat was dry and sore.

"Bella, thank God! I'm gonna get you out of here." I heard the chains dropping to the floor, and I slowly started slipping out of the chair. Alice carefully scooped me up bridal style. The movements made my body scream in pain, but all I could let out was a whimper. "I know it hurts, honey. Just stay with me."

_Did she just call me 'honey'?_

She started to go toward the front door before instantly turning on her heels and dashing out the back. The moment we hit the forest tree line, a loud howl sounded from behind us followed by barking and growling. The wolves were pursuing us.

I was lucky that at the speed a vampire runs, you don't feel much impact. It's more like gliding just a few inches off the ground. I was slipping in and out of consciousness. Everything became clouded and hazy as if my senses were only picking up echoes. Even the bursts of pain felt distant.

"Hang on, Bella," I think I heard Alice say, but I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.

I heard a commotion of voices, but I was having a difficult time focusing on any of them. Alice laid me down on a cold, hard surface. No more than a couple minutes passed, and I felt as if I was being injected with something in my arm. Moments later, the pain started to dissipate. It didn't go away completely, but it was at least a bit more bearable. Cold hands gently examined my body.

"Her bones seem to be broken in various places, but I can't fully assess the damage or reset any of the bones until the swelling goes down. For now, I can at least put them in splints and stitch up some of these lacerations, although, they look extremely irritated. Surgery will most likely be needed. She's also severely dehydrated so she's also gonna need some fluids," a male spoke, quickly and precisely.

_No, they shouldn't stitch me up. I'll heal soon enough. I don't wanna have to split open cuts to pull out threads._

A small hand held mine. "You're going to be okay, Bella," Alice whispered and caressed my cheek. "Carlisle, she's never this cold. Bella is usually feverishly warm."

"She's lost a substantial amount of blood, but I don't know her blood type if I even kept that here." I felt another prick on the inside of my arm from the IV. The fluids felt cold running through my veins. "The amount isn't life-threatening and she's stable for now, but I only have the bare minimum here for house calls so she needs to get to a hospital."

"The wolves have this place surrounded. We aren't gonna be going anywhere," I heard Emmett speak up.

"Maybe they'll at least let us take her to the hospital," Esme chimed in.

"No, they won't listen. One of them was lying dead in the front of her house," Alice answered and I heard a couple gasps. "I'm sure they think I am somehow involved since I got to her just before they did. I had to run out the back door."

"I thought you were with Jasper," Rosalie said.

"I was. I had planned to go see Bella later tonight, but I _saw_ her. She was all beaten up and bloody, whispering…stuff," Alice hesitated. "I didn't feel like I had time to look for Jasper since we had separated for a bit so I ran to help her."

_Wait…Alice saw me?_

"I thought she was blocked from you," questioned Rosalie.

"We should talk about this in the next room," Edward piped up.

"Edward, can you..?" Alice began.

Suddenly, the burning sensation on my skin began to gradually increase more and more. My breathing became more labored.

_Shit, it's wearing off._

I still had silver residue all over me. My eyes shot open and I yelled out. My skin felt like it was on fire. "Put me in the shower! The shower, hurry!" I screamed.

Within seconds, I was being placed in a large bathtub with the shower running. I managed to blubber out "cold water" in between my fits of pain. I howled in agony as the silver seeped into some of the wounds. I did the best I could to scrub it off with my one good arm.

"Get my clothes off," I ordered Alice who had been standing there in shock since she turned on the water. She snapped out of it and ripped my long-sleeved shirt down the back, peeling it off of me like a reverse jacket. The jeans were a little more complex (and painful) to get out of. The wounds had already started to fuse with the material. I growled at her a couple times, reflexively; canines bared and eyes glowing. I didn't bother trying to hide it or explain myself, and once we washed off all the silver, my wounds started to close up, but just barely. I knew the broken bones would take longer, meaning for now, I couldn't move. I just lied there in my matching navy blue bra and underwear, propped up by the side of the tub under the cold running water.

I looked over at Alice and she was staring back at me in silence. Her hair and her clothes were soaked from leaning in under the water to help me. There in her eyes, I saw all the questions and things she wanted to say, but like me, she couldn't seem to find the words. Then, she did something unexpected. The pixie vampire stood up, turned off the water, and climbed in at the foot of the tub behind me. She, then, gently laid me back against her chest and carefully wrapped her arms around me.

For those brief moments as she was holding me, I completely blocked out the world. I let myself forget about the pain, the vampires, and the shifters. A part of me wondered why she had this sudden change in heart with me, but I didn't question it. I just basked in this trouble-free moment.

"I'm sorry," I finally whispered, my voice a little hoarse from the screaming.

"Shh," she breathed softly into my hair. The simple action was so intimate that it made my heart flutter.

"I wanted to tell you…but I didn't know how you would react and –"

"We will talk about that later," Alice interrupted me calmly, though I thought I heard a slight edge to her voice. "Who did –" This time she was the one that was interrupted…by a blood curling howl coming from right outside.

The blonde female appeared standing next to the tub. "Edward says that the wolves are staging a perimeter. You were right, Alice. They think you killed the wolf and are now holding Bella here as hostage, but they don't want to strike now. They know that Edward can anticipate their moves and don't see a plan in trying to use the element of surprise. Instead, the dogs are gonna hold us up in here until we are crazed with thirst and have to leave or at least weak enough to take us out all together."

"A bit reckless for them considering that they think Bella is a hostage," the little one growled.

I was a little surprised that they were willing to talk about this in front of me, but then I remember the pesky mind-reader probably filled them in on whatever they didn't hear in the first place.

"To them, it looked like she was dying anyway. Edward says they aren't thinking too clearly. They are blinded by rage."

"This is my fault," I admitted.

"Damn right it is," Rosalie deadpanned.

"Rose," Alice warned.

"No, she's right. I caused all of this. Let me talk to them."

"You can't," Edward suddenly materialized.

"What the fuck?!" I quickly jerked my arms up to cover my half naked body but was thwarted by sharp pains. Alice growled and pulled the shower curtain shut for me.

"Edward, get out of here!" ordered Alice.

"You can't go talk to them," he ignored her. "Not right now. If they turn on you at all, you can't defend yourself. I care about you too much to watch you get in harm's way."

"Oh, spare me the unrequited love crap," I snapped. Rosalie failed to stifle a laugh.

"Bella, he's right, though," Alice tilted her head to look at me. "You can't even walk right now. Just wait till you heal. Can't be much longer now anyway, right?"

I nodded. Truth be told, I wasn't sure exactly how long it would take. For one, I had never sustained this much damage, and two, I didn't know how long the wolfsbane would cling to my system.

_Hopefully, things don't get too much more out of hand until then._


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Alice's musical laughter filled the room as she saw me there pouting in Emmett's oversized clothes.

"I'm practically swimming in these clothes, Alice."

"No, I'd say you're drowning!" she managed to choke out in between her fits of giggles.

Emmett's clothes were the only ones I could wear while I was healing. They were loose enough to move around in…and I didn't hate his guts.

Because I still couldn't walk, the small vampire gently scooped me up and laid me down on her bed. It was surprisingly soft and extremely comfortable. Carlisle called out to Alice from somewhere downstairs, and she quickly excused herself. Even though Alice didn't say it outright, it was obvious that this was her room. It was a rather large room, and all of the décor, down to the elegant ceiling fan, screamed "Alice". I noticed, on the wall opposite the bathroom door, there was a set of double doors. _The closet._ I chuckled and shook my head when I realized that I was probably right about her closet being thrice the size of my own.

One minor detail that didn't match with the rest of the room caught my eye. There, just above an intricate, gold-bordered mirror, hung a glass case that held an antique sword. It was medium-length and was engraved with elaborate markings at the base of the blade near the brass handle. It appeared to have been cleaned regularly since there was no sign of rust.

Whatever the significance of the weapon, it was obvious that it had not belonged to Alice, but to Jasper. Immediately, I was reminded that this was his room as well and that I was lying on their bed. Another uncomfortable thought struck me when I remembered that vampires don't ever sleep which meant the bed was only used for one thing. I suddenly felt angry and, quite frankly, nauseated.

_The sooner I heal, the sooner I can get the hell out of here._

I leaned back into the pillow, straightening out as much as I could, trying to will myself to get better. The reflection of light off to my right caught my attention next. There, on the wall, hung a frame of a photograph that I didn't see before. It was a candid picture of Alice and Jasper…in wedding attire. Alice wore a beautiful, white dress, and Jasper was in a sharp-looking tux.

_They're married?!_

I cringed. That fact shouldn't have caught me by surprise at all, and I should have figured that out ages ago. I suppose I tried to block out that possibility. I shut my eyes and growled, not wanting to discover anything else. Seconds later, Alice was at the bedside. I kept my eyes shut.

"Are you ok? Are you hurting?" she asked. _Yes._

"No, I'm fine," I tried to say as evenly as possible.

"Hello, Bella," Carlisle walked in. "Do you mind if I do a quick examination of your wounds?" I nodded and he did a general overlook at all the damage done to me. He also felt along my broken bones and seemed pleased with my progress. "Everything appears to be healingly properly and quickly, I might add."

"It's still slower than normal." The rest of the vampires started entering the room, slowly. _Here we go._

"Well, everyone is dancing around the fact that you are not human. Care to confirm what we already know?" Carlisle deadpanned. I had been avoiding saying it directly. I was uneasy losing all deniability, but then again, there was no escaping it now.

I took a deep breath. "I'm a werewolf," I admitted, softly. With those words, everyone in the room became as still and silent as stone. All breaths were held, including my own. The only sound that could be heard was the only beating heart in the room, pounding in my chest. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up. I was on full alert, but there was not much I could do in my condition.

"So you were the one that saved Alice from the pack?" Carlisle spoke up. _Out of everything, you ask about that?_

"Uhh…it wasn't the pack. There were only two of them."

"Still, you took on two wolves. Badass," Emmett nodded in approval. I was dumbfounded.

_I am a sworn enemy of their species. How could they react to the news this way? With Garrett, it wasn't such a big deal. He and I have history, but I am nothing to this coven. They owe me nothing._

"That's not true," Edward answered my thoughts. "We owe you for saving Alice's life."

I furrowed my brow. "How've you been hearing my thoughts?"

"Some vampires are gifted. Edward can read minds, Alice sees the future, and Jasper influences emotions," Esme stepped forward.

"That's not what she means, Esme. Apparently, Bella already knew that. She means I shouldn't be able to," he clarified.

"I am perfectly capable of explaining things for myself," I snapped.

"I know you can but –"

"Stay. Out. Of. My. Head," I growled.

"He can't really help it," Esme gently defended.

"Selective hearing is an option. Or he can at least stop making it so obvious."

"You know, for someone who is pretty much defenseless, you sure aren't attempting to keep peace," Rosalie pointed out.

"I don't expect to live much longer anyway, and I refuse to die belly up."

"You're dying?" Emmett looked back and forth between Carlisle and me. Carlisle looked as confused as he did…which ended up having the same effect on me.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you? Or turn me in to the Volturi? Isn't it a vampire law or something?"

"It's not exactly law…" Carlisle started.

"But it's strongly recommended if you don't want to get on their bad side," Rosalie finished. _Does everyone finish each other's sentences around here?_

"Kinda," Edward answered my silent question…again. My eyes snapped in his direction. He put his hands up as a sign of surrender.

"I didn't think there were any werewolves left after the genocide," the head of the coven commented.

"Genocide?" Alice asked.

"The Children of the Moon Genocide," I turned to look at her, and instantly my body relaxed. "Around the late 14th century, one of your 'fearless' leaders, Caius, clashed with a lone werewolf and was nearly killed. As a result, he went on a rampage and ordered a massacre against my kind that drove us to the _brink_ of extinction."

"So there are more of you out there?"

I nodded. "I suppose so, but I haven't seen another one in a few hundred years."

"Wait, how old are you?" asked Emmett. My heart kept racing, and my temperature was rising back to normal by the second. Revealing information about me was unnerving.

"Just over six hundred years." Fascinated expressions spread throughout the room. "What? Who's the oldest in this room?"

"That would be me," Carlisle stepped forward. "London, 1640s."

"Why – " Alice had started, but was interrupted by a deep, malicious voice from outside.

"Cullens! Cullens! CULLENS!" the voice roared. "You cowards! Get out here and face us now!" It sounded like it was their Alpha, Sam. "We have one of yours out here!"

"Jasper!" Alice gasped and quickly moved to the window. A look of shock and horror spread across her face. "No, it's Garrett!"

"Garrett! I gotta go out there. Please! I may be the only one that can reason with them. Someone please take me out there," I pleaded. I looked at every one of them. No one moved. "Garrett is my friend. The best I ever had. I can't just let him die."

Without hesitation or another word, the littlest vampire scooped me up and ran outside. She was the very last one I wanted out there with me in harm's way, but there was no time to argue that. At the edge of the forest, Sam stood in his human form, shaking, trying to keep from shifting. Behind him, it seemed the entire pack was just itching to attack, growling and snarling in our direction except for a couple of wolves off to the side who were holding Garrett by his shoulders with their teeth, in a kneeling position.

"Sam! Let him go!" I yelled from Alice's arms

"Bella! Put her down, Leech!" Sam ordered, ignoring my demand completely. He, then, paused a moment, and the fury in his eyes grew. "It's her!" he motioned to the vampire carrying me. "She was at the house!" Sam bolted toward us, shifting only a few strides in. The whole pack trailed closely behind, leaving Garrett. Alice looked at me for an instant before quickly setting me on the hard ground and heading into the woods, leading the pack away from the house and Garrett.

"No!" I called after them in vain as I watched them all disappear into the trees. I clawed at the ground in pain, anger, and frustration. _Not again!_ Garrett was at my side in a flash as I saw Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle take off after them. I fought away from the hands of Garrett and Esme trying to gently pick me up and get me back inside. Edward stood awestruck by the front door.

The sound of my heart hammered in my ears, deafening me. " _Not again!"_ rang out in my mind a second time. _"I can't lose her like I did them!"_ Adrenaline coursed through me and my breathing deepened. _I can't let this happen again!_ My wounds began closing as the last bit of the wolfbane in my body was burning off, and I could feel my bones popping back into their proper forms and places. Mobility restored itself at last where the most damage was done. _NOT AGAIN!_ I focused all of my energy on phasing until finally, my spine snapped up. The rest of my body followed, and I exploded into my monstrous form. Immediately, I willed my still aching body after them, sprinting as fast as I could and leaving the remaining vampires behind, calling after me.

A familiar scene soon came within my view as they started to close in on Alice. I launched up into the trees for an aerial attack. Once in position, I tackled Sam just as he was about to lunge at Alice. I took advantage of the pack's confusion and lifted Alice with me into the trees above. Emmett, Carlisle, and Rosalie appeared next to us. I didn't even recall passing them. The wolves below kept snapping their teeth and jumping up at the branches. I knew they wouldn't dare shift to their human forms and climb up here. It would've made them too vulnerable.

"Wow," Emmett nodded, taking in my size. I huffed as a response.

"What are we gonna do?" Carlisle brought our attention back.

I took another look at each of the vampires and the blood-thirsty pack down below. Slowly, so as not alarm him, I peeled Emmett's jacket off of him and gave him a nod. Then, I let out a deafening howl, jumped down off the tree, and took off deeper into the forest. I made sure to slow down enough to keep them just at my heels to maintain their interest.

The shifters' wolf form was very powerful and of immense size, and I knew that even though I was stronger ( _though probably not right now_ ) and had more experience, I would be torn apart if I went up against the entire group. I needed to figure out a way to explain to them that the situation was my fault, and the Cullens were not to be blamed.

I headed toward the big boulder that had become my unofficial hangout spot. Once there, I, quickly, morphed back into my smaller form, and threw on the Emmett's jacket which fit me even bigger than Garrett's. The leading black wolf, Sam, leapt onto the boulder a second later, trailed by a Paul and a reddish brown wolf. I could hear the rest of them waiting at the base. The violent snarling stopped when he realized who I was and seemed taken aback a bit, but he retained his furious expression with his ears pointed back. The three wolves did nothing for a few moments, probably communicating amongst one another, before the flanking wolves stepped forward and formed a little wall in front of their Alpha. Sam emerged from in between them in his human form, buttoning up his usual cutoff jean shorts.

"Bella."

"Sam," I acknowledged him.

He turned his head slightly to the left. "Leave us," he told the wolves. The copper brown wolf jumped down to join the others without hesitating. Paul, however, didn't move and continued growling at me. "That's an order, Paul," Sam repeated forcefully. The gray wolf dragged his feet, but followed the command. He turned to me, "Because you're not a leech, you are not dead, yet. That is the only reason."

"Let me explain what happened," I started.

"You were on our land. You bonded with the very wolves you attacked, and now, one of them is dead! How can you begin to explain that?!" Sam started shaking with anger, again.

"I was protecting my mate!" I growled back, asserting myself. I needed to hold my ground regardless of my weakened state. I may not have had any open wounds, but I was still badly malnourished…and that was enough. _I mustn't back down._ His eyes grew wide at my statement. "Your wolves hold so much contempt for them that they didn't even really listen to Alice's explanations during the first incident. They just attacked her!"

"Those two were dealt with. Evidence should have been brought to my attention for further investigation. They had no business declaring war without my consent."

"Evidence? Investigation? Where is that attitude now?"

"Jared's lifeless body on your front porch with the stench of bloodsucking demons all over him was evidence enough!"

"But which demons? What specific ones?" I questioned. "Any of the Cullens' scents? Garrett's?" I pressed. "There are other players at work here and you know it."

"Like you?" he shot back spitefully.

I rolled my eyes. "I was attacked like Jared was. I know you saw the condition I was in as Alice carried me out, and I know you could smell my blood. It was all over the place. Your wolf was standing on my front porch when I got home. He must have sensed the vampires inside, and he warned me not to go in. I saw someone had broken in my front door so I went in anyway, suspecting it was nothing I couldn't handle. There were two vampires, and they were only after me for what I am so they immediately deemed Jared unnecessary and eliminated him. They tortured me for hours before leaving to go feed, planning to come back for me later so I suspect they are still in the area.

"And before you go blaming the vampires for not advising you of my presence, you should know that none of the Cullens knew what I was. My mate doesn't even know she's my mate…" my menacing tone dropped a bit. Sam stayed silent, processing my words. "Look, I've spent my whole life engulfed in hatred for their kind. We have that for common ground. I wouldn't be sticking my neck out for them for the hell of it."

Sam sighed restlessly. His eyes softened, but not completely. "What are you?"

I licked my lips and smirked a bit. The truth has never been easy to spit out and now, to do it twice in one night was unnerving. "I'm a werewolf."

He looked at me skeptically. "No, we are werewolves. You are nothing like us."

I laughed. _They really don't know what they are?_ I could hear the wolves down below growling at my reaction. "Well, you're half right. We are different species, but I am the werewolf; part human/part beast, affected by the cycle of the moon, strong animalistic persona, etc. You are a shifter. You're not forced to change at full moon." He continued with his disbelieving looks. "You aren't the first shifters I've met. I know what I'm talking about."

The Alpha appeared put off by this information. He stared at the ground and off into the trees, clenching and unclenching his jaw as if deciding his next move.

"The tribal council will have more questions about you. For now, the Cullens, including you, will be allowed to roam, but be available for questioning. Your home will be off limits to you while we investigate further."

"No. I don't think so. That house is my property and not on your territory. You can't just take over," I argued. "I was attacked too. It wasn't just your kin." He growled and took a step forward in an attempt to intimidate me. I made sure to mimic his movements and maintain similar postures, never dipping lower than him. _I will not bow to him._ "I will respect your wishes and answer your questions, but that is all."

Sam was shaking violently and with a dark tone, he threatened, "If you or the Cullens interfere in any way –"

"I understand," I cut him off, not in the mood to listen to anymore of his threats. He glared at me for a few moments longer before walking backwards off the 'cliff'. I heard a distinctive ripping sound before he hit the bottom indicating that he must have shifted on the way down.

I stood there, body tensed, until I knew that all the shifters had left with their Alpha, but then fell to my hands and knees in exhaustion. My body was running on fumes. I hadn't been able to keep anything substantial in my system in days, and with all the trauma I had undergone, I was actually pretty surprised I managed to shift at all, let alone keep up the way I did. There was no way I would have survived a fight with the shifters. _Self-preservation goes out the window when it comes to mates._ I laid down flat on my back. It had begun to snow. Little snowflakes lightly sprinkled over me, melting as they hit my burning hot skin.

I cursed under my breath. The whole situation had gone from bad to worse. There were only two solutions that I saw that could make everything go away, and they were at the extreme opposite ends of the spectrum. Either I leave right now and go back into hiding for a few decades or even a century, or I could just strengthen back up and kill everyone (excluding the humans). No witnesses. My wolf growled at them both. I could never hurt Alice, and I couldn't leave her now if I wanted. I didn't know how I was going to begin to deal with the situation. All I could do for now was rest.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Eventually, the vampires met up with me on the boulder, and I filled them in on my little discussion with Sam. After some persuading from Alice, I reluctantly followed the group back to their house. I felt very uncomfortable there. It was not that I believed that the coven would hurt me; they already had the chance to do so, but old habits die hard. I couldn't help but be on my guard around that many bloodsuckers. It probably didn't help that there were constant reminders of my mate's marriage to someone else. After everything, I just wanted to relax, but that was proving to be next to impossible as time progressed.

At the Cullen residence, the rest of the vampires were waiting by the front door. Carlisle brought the rest of the group up to speed. Half of them stared at the floor or at Carlisle in thought, while Alice, Edward, and Garrett watched me carefully as I shivered weakly. Edward differed from the other two as he had a look of concentration.

"What is it, Edward?" Carlisle took notice.

"..I..I can't hear her thoughts anymore." I felt annoyed.

"Good, I told you to stay out of there in the first place," I growled.

"Is it because you're healed?" Emmett asked.

"No, but I think it has more to do with the wolfsbane they used on me. It must be fully out of my system. I've never dealt with it so I'm pretty much undergoing a crash course on its effects."

"Wolfsbane? I thought that plant was extinct," Carlisle inquired.

"So did I. I've never come across it before." I saw the confused looks on everyone else's faces. "It's a plant that was heavily sought after by my kind to keep from shifting, mainly on full moon nights. The Volturi was thought to have hunted it down as fiercely as they did werewolves since it made it easier for us to blend in with the humans. You see, a mature werewolf can, for the most part, shift at will except during a full moon. On those particular nights, we have no choice. The transformation is a slow and excruciatingly painful process. Imagine your bones breaking, growing, and snapping back into place."

"It's not a pretty picture," Garrett commented.

"Wait, you've been with her during a full moon?" Alice's head snapped in his direction.

"He was there to help me. I get pretty sick during the hours leading up to it."

She pursed her lips and shot me a look, "So you let him help you, but not me?" _Are you serious right now?_

I snorted, "Oh yeah, that would have gone over well. 'Hey, Alice, can you hold my hair back while I puke? Don't mind the tail that's sprouting out of my ass.'"

"You should have told me a long time ago!"

"Why, so your _husband_ could forbid you to see me even more?!" My patience snapped. I growled at myself for losing my cool. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "I wasn't going to tell you at all, initially, but things changed."

"Changed, how?" Rosalie asked.

I kept my eyes trained on a random spot on the floor, not daring to look any of them in the eye. "My plan…at first…was to kill you all off," I admitted. "My first day at school when Jasper walked into my class, I panicked. I couldn't understand how or even why a vampire would be attending high school. The whole idea was just absurd. It left me utterly confused. Nonetheless, I had already gotten settled in town, and I wasn't about to be run out by a bloodsucker. I was planning to take him out. I wasn't going to take any chances; besides, I figured it was just him and his mate at the most…" I swallowed hard. "…nothing I couldn't nor hadn't handled before.

"It was at lunch before I realized just how many of you there were, but my plan remained. I wasn't leaving. I couldn't afford to, but I had to be more careful. I was going to get close to you. Gain your trust and take you out one or two at a time." My voice dropped lower. "Alice was to be my first target."

"You were going to kill all of us? Kill me?" I heard her tiny voice say.

"Yes," I whispered. A moment passed in silence before I heard her bedroom door slam shut upstairs. I winced at the sound. There wasn't anything that I could say that could fix what I just admitted to because despite the rest of her coven warnings against me, she had always believed the opposite…and I just proved her wrong.

I looked up at the leader of the coven, "Mistrusting your kind has always been hardwired into me, and you've presented me with more than enough kindness to show me otherwise, but yet even still, I continue to question your motives. I'm truly sorry."

"Given our kinds' history with one another, I can't say that I blame you," Carlisle nodded.

"Yea, it's ok, Bella. Totally understandable," Edward put his hand on my shoulder. I bared my teeth at him and shrugged it off. _Lucky your coven leader is here or I'd rip your arm off_.

"How were you and Garrett able to hit it off so quickly?" Emmett asked.

Garrett went ahead and explained that part to the group. I stayed staring up at the second floor in the direction of Alice's bedroom. I didn't hear any movement other than her occasional soft breath.

_I need to go up there…_

"Isabella, when was the last time you ate?" Garrett brought my attention back to the group.

"I haven't been able to keep anything down in a few days," I admitted.

"You look like shit. We need to get you fed."

"I don't have any food left in the house," Esme said. That was expected. I hadn't stopped by in a couple months…and it's not like they needed to keep some here. "We'll need to make a trip to the store. Also, we would like for you to stay with us for a few days, at least until this all clears up." I was hesitant to stay, but I knew it was the most logical option so I nodded.

"Good. I will go make a list of food for Carlisle and Esme to go pick up since I have the best idea of what Bella likes. The rest of us should stay here. We'll need to stay in groups for the time being in case the wolves change their minds." It was odd to see Garrett take charge of a coven that wasn't his own, but no one argued. "Bella, you should go rest."

"I don't need rest. I'm fine."

"You look like you're about to fall over. Go." I growled in response. I didn't like being told what to do, but I knew he was right.

I slowly made my way up the stairs as everyone disbursed. I stood in front of the pixie's door with my hand raised in midair intending on knocking, but making no move to do it. I didn't know what I would tell her or if she would even forgive me. A part of me hoped she wouldn't that way I could just leave and not look back. The angry growl in my head voiced a different opinion.

"What do you want, Bella?" she asked through the door.

"I was hoping we could talk. Explain, maybe…" The door swung open so suddenly and quickly, I could feel the air rush past. All I saw were the rigid angles of her face and the jet black eyes staring angrily back at me. For the first time, I could actually see the hardness of her skin. There was no detectable softness in the Alice I saw before me.

"Explain what? The different ways you were planning to kill me? My family?" she hissed. I bowed my head before looking up to meet her eyes once more.

"It was before I knew you. Any of you." She just rolled her eyes and quickly moved to slam the door in my face. Reflexively, I shoved my foot in its way and managed to make a good sized hole at the bottom of the door.

"You broke my door!" she yelled at me.

"I'll buy you a new one," I growled and forced my way in.

"That's not the point!"

"Then, what is the point, Alice?! I'm sorry about the door, ok? I'm sorry for everything. Look, I was raised to hate your kind. I've been hunted by vampires all my life. Survival has always mainly driven my decisions. It was before I got to know you. Obviously, I don't feel the same way anymore." She stayed silent with the door still in hand.

"She's mad that you're always hiding things from her and that you confide in Garrett more," Edward appeared in the open doorway.

"Shut up!" we yelled in unison on before Alice slammed the door in his face.

The silence that followed was deafening. The pixie kept her dark eyes trained on the floor with her arms crossed. _Was the irritating gnat telling the truth? Was she really angry about Garrett? Jealous, even?_ She finally sighed and went to sit on the bed. Rubbing her thighs back and forth with her dainty hands, Alice looked up at me. I moved to sit next to her, and my eyes flicked up to the window. I could see that my eyes were still glowing. I held her icy hand in mine.

"Alice, I'm sorry about everything, but I did have reasons for keeping it from you, and believe it or not, I was going to tell you. That's why I wanted to talk to you after school. I'm sorry for waiting so long. As far as Garrett knowing, honestly, I had to tell him I was a werewolf. I don't wanna lie to you anymore. Please, I'm begging you for another chance." She stared down at our adjoining hands and softened her features. Her eyes came up to meet mine, and I could see them lightening back to their original topaz color that I had come to love. Alice squeezed my hand and gave me a nod. I let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding, and I noticed she didn't remove her hand from my grip. I was relieved until I saw that she was blankly staring at the floor. A troubled expression came over her face.

"Oh no," she whispered.

I heard a brief commotion downstairs before the door suddenly busted open, and immediately, my back was slammed up against the wall. Jasper stood before me, eyes black, pinning me by my throat.

"I knew you were some mangy mutt. Stay away from my wife!" he hissed, then leaned in real close to my ear and whispered, "She's mine."

I lost it. A growl roared from deep inside my chest. I reached over his arm and grabbed the hand that he had wrapped around my throat. I clasped it with both hands, twisted it so his thumb was pointing downward, and snapped the hand upward. I heard the satisfying sound of his hand breaking, and Jasper screaming in pain. He quickly fell to knees under my grip, completely caught off guard by my instant reaction. I kicked him squarely in the chest; he flew across the room and straight through the window.

Immediately, I shifted and jumped out after him just in time to see him popping his wrist back into place. I crouched down low with my teeth bared, and he mirrored my stance. I didn't care how much weaker I was at the moment. I wanted him in pieces. I took a step forward and was blocked by Alice.

"Bella, stop!" She stood in front of him, facing me. "Don't," she pleaded. It just fueled my anger more. She was _protecting him._

"What is going on here?!" a stern female voice called out. Esme stood there with Garrett and Carlisle, looking between the three of us. I was still shaking with anger as my attention went back to Jasper and Alice. Garrett quickly appeared in front of me, hands raised.

"Bella, Bella, calm down," he clasped my shoulders. Because of my towering stature, I easily maintained eye contact with my adversary, but I knew it was just wasted energy. I had lost.

Carlisle ordered Emmett and Rosalie to take Jasper back inside while Alice explained what happened. I shifted back as well and apologized for the damage to the house. I offered to pay to fix it, but they wouldn't have it. Adrenaline was still coursing through my veins. I couldn't sit still and rest, and there was no way I was going back in that house with Jasper so soon. I excused myself to go hunting. Garrett insisted on going with me. He said that Kate convinced him to try to live off of animals' blood, and in true Garrett fashion, he accepted the challenge. I think he was just trying to impress the girl.

An unlucky cougar managed to cross my path. It was a sloppy takedown on my part which resulted in some deep claw marks on my shoulder, but I didn't care. Now that the wolfsbane was out of my system, it would be no time before I started healing. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I started eating. I felt like I was just inhaling the carcass. I curled up in a ball right next to my kill and waited for Garrett. I almost immediately felt a sleepy haze coming on. Exhaustion had finally caught up to me.

When Garrett returned, he tried to stir me awake, but I just grunted and ignored him. "At least shift back so I can carry you back more easily," I heard him say after throwing his coat over me. I obliged and drifted back to sleep in his arms.

* * *

_I could practically drink the water right out of the air, it was so thick. The night was definitely cool, but that did nothing to dim the angry fire within me. Those leeches had to pay tonight._

_After a couple hours of tracking, I finally managed to find where they were hiding out: the old lighthouse. Quickly and quietly, I shifted in the trees. I crept up to the front doorway of the keeper's shack next to the tower. I could smell one of them in there. Through the window, I saw that he had his back to the door, and without hesitation, I burst through the door. He turned just in time to see my teeth before sinking them into neck. I grabbed both his head and arm, tearing them off._

_Hearing more coming, I darted to the side of the door ready to ambush the next one that came in. Predictably, another male was the first to dash in. I grabbed him by the shoulders, picked him up, and smashed him down onto a nearby table. I jammed my thumb into his eye, closed my grip around his head using his skull as a handle, and removed his head. Angry screeches followed._

_Two females, a redhead and blonde, remained. Blondie kicked me in the ribs (definitely breaking them) sending me flying across the little shack. The other used my momentum and hit my chest downward, knocking me to the ground. She dug her nails in deep, literally stabbing five holes by my collarbone. I grabbed her forearm and hit her elbow inward, breaking off her arm. I kicked her off and the blonde cracked me in the jaw, dislocating it. My mouth hung slightly ajar._

_A distorted howl rang out from the sharp pain I felt by my shoulder blade. The sight horrified and surprised me, all at the same time. The redhead had actually used the jagged edge of her broken arm to stab me. I had never seen that before._ I'll give her points for creativity. _Quickly, I grit my teeth, twisted and sent her flying into the other. The blood down my back and onto the floor. Both rapidly recovered and came barreling at me. I dived out of the way causing them to crash through the wall of the shack. Taking advantage of the moment, I snapped my jaw back into place with a gory *pop*. There was nothing I could do about my ribs at that instant._

_The two vampires took off inside the lighthouse tower as I made chase. I caught Blondie by the ankle as we flew up the stairs and tossed her down. Immediately, I was on top of her and took a huge bite out of her face._

One to go.

Red's stench is still coming from the top of the tower which means she isn't trying to escape.

_I ran up the stairs, and as predicted, there she was. The redhead stood in an aggressive stance, holding the jagged half-arm like a weapon and ready for a fight. I was impressed._

_"You killed my mate and my coven! I'd rather die than let you live," she shrieked. I snarled at her and ran my tongue over my canines._ Then die she will.

 _"Just wake up, Bella," she gave a sinister smile._ What? _"Wake up…"_

"Bella, wake up!" I woke with a jump. I was on a couch with Garrett standing beside me. "Sorry, you were thrashing around quite a bit. At first, you were just growling, and I thought it was funny so I let it continue," he grinned. "After a while, though, you looked like you were gonna fall off the couch." I took a sigh of relief and ran my hand over my face. The room reeked of vampires so it was obvious I was still at the Cullen house.

"How long was I out for?" I asked, my voice hoarse. _It must have been awhile._

"About three days." _Holy crap._ "I had Carlisle come in and check on you every once in a while. Hope that's ok."

"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks, buddy," I yawned and stretched. Every joint popped. It was heavenly.

"Alice came in here to check on you, too," he added.

"What did Carlisle say?" I asked, ignoring his statement.

"Bella –"

"Garrett, I don't wanna talk about it."

"Give her a break, Isabella. She wasn't defending his actions."

"You're right. She was defending _him_ ," I argued.

"No, she was protecting _you_."

"What?" I was confused.

"Alice stopped you from attacking because she knew how exhausted you were." I raised my eyebrow at him. "She told me that herself. She said, in all honesty, you were justified in the way you reacted." I furrowed my brow. That was not at all the way I had interpreted the situation. I just closed my eyes and shook my head. "I'll let that little thought marinate with you for a bit. Anyway, what were you dreaming so vividly about?"

"My past." He looked at me expectantly and motioned for me to go on. I explained what happened in the dream. As always, he listened intently. "They were several serial murders in New Orleans at that time. I didn't think much of it till I found out they took out a whole family, a family I was close to. I stumbled on the scene; bodies scattered all throughout the house. I caught their scent, and I was blinded with rage. I went after them. No plan, no nothing. I didn't even try to figure out how many there were."

"What happened to the last female?"

"During our fight, I ended up tackling her off the balcony of the tower. I gained the upper hand at some point in midair and tore her apart, but I managed to fall right on top of that damn jagged arm of hers. There was a quite a gaping hole in my abdomen for a bit. I left that place pretty banged up. Had to reset a few bones. I found a lighter in the house and set fire to the shack and the lighthouse."

"You know, if they were killing as conspicuous as you say they were, the Volturi would have taken care of it eventually," Garrett pointed out.

"Yea, well, the Volturi were taking too long. And it became personal," I growled. "Anyway, after that was when I decided I wasn't going to go into any more…situations halfcocked."

"When was all this?"

"1832."

"Took you that long to learn?" he teased.

"Shut up," I punched his arm. "I'm hungry. Let's go see if you actually paid attention to what I like to eat." He chuckled.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

" _I'm hungry. Let's go see if you actually paid attention to what I like to eat." He chuckled._

 

Garrett opened the door for me and there stood Alice…with a huge tray of food.

"I heard you wake up, and I thought you might be hungry," she said sheepishly. "Can we talk?" My stomach growled in response which made Alice giggled.

Garrett took his cue to leave, and I backed up to let Alice in the room. I sat on the couch once more, and she sat the food tray on my lap. An impressive stack of pancakes was the first thing my eyes landed on. The top pancake had a smiley face consisting of eggs for the eyes and a strip of bacon for the mouth. In fact, upon further inspection, I realized that every pancake had this touch. There was a huge pile of potatoes next to the pancakes that were a picture perfect golden brown. A small…ish bowl of fresh fruit in the corner brought the color to the mix. Also, sitting at the top of the tray was a glass of orange juice with an orange slice on the rim. _Whoa._

I stole a glance at Alice who seemed to be waiting for my approval. I smiled at her in reassurance. "Wow, this looks great. Thank you." She beamed at me.

"It's my peace offering. I know we've been back-and-forth with each other, but I was hoping we could just start over. I really miss you, Bella."

"I miss you too. I'm sorry for the way I've acted. I know I've been a complete asshole to you and your family. I've been just as hot and cold to you as you've been to me. I'm a hypocrite. I'm sorry." I looked straight into her big, beautiful eyes. Even though they were the same shade as every other Cullen, hers were the most captivating to me.

"Let's just start over. Clean slate." I nodded in agreement as I took my first bite of her "peace offering". The pancake practically melted in my mouth with buttery goodness. "Oh my God, Alice. This is delicious. I'll make peace with whatever the hell you want," I said as I dove in for more. The little vampire laughed and watched me gorge myself.

"How are you feeling? You look better."

"Much better than before. My body just needed a chance to rest and recuperate," I swallowed another huge bite of pancake. "What time is it anyway?"

"You're part animal. Aren't you supposed to be able to sense what time of day it is?" she teased and laughed at my unamused expression. "It's around 5am, Tuesday."

"Shit, I've missed way too much school."

"Don't worry about it. Carlisle took the liberty of writing you a doctor's note. Just don't forget to miss a couple things on the finals," she winked. _That's convenient._

"Hmm, well in that case, I wanna go check on my place. The wolves have apparently had three days to gather their clues and form their conclusions. That's plenty," I growled.

"Are all wolf-type creatures so territorial? Are your species similar in a lot of ways or just in that way? I would have thought you would have liked them more since you're based off the same animal—" I put my finger over her lips to stop the words rushing out of her mouth. Her brows furrowed. "You owe me some answers," she pouted.

My mouth formed a tight line, and I nodded slowly. "You're right. I do."

"Glad we agree. I want them today so I'm going with you to your house". I finished all my food and was more than satisfied. I stood up and started walking toward the door, busing my tray. I had to admit that I was nervous about any and all of her questions, but I was through hiding and lying to her. It only served by creating a huge mess.

By the time I reached the kitchen sink to wash my dishes, Esme was already there, taking them with a smile. I said my thanks and headed for the door with Alice by my side.

A few inches of snow covered the ground and trees around the house, and even though the sun hadn't begun to rise, the fresh white powder lightened up the landscape. I took a deep breath, allowing the brisk air to fill my lungs. _I haven't felt this good in months._

Alice watched me with a small smile. "Ok, so first question: can you keep up with a vampire in human form or do you have to…shift? Is that the right word?"

I laughed, "Yeah, that word works, and yes, I can, but I would be a bit slower than your average immortal in human form."

"I guess I could go slower for you if you wanted to run in your less furry version," she let out a mock sigh.

"I appreciate the sacrifice."

"Oh, it's not just for you. You can answer questions better without the tail," she grinned. Shaking my head in response, I took off into the forest with Alice following and giggling.

She started off pretty easy with her questioning, asking me where exactly I was from, all the places I had seen, and a bit more about the relationship Garrett and I had. I purposely ran as fast as I could to my house before they got too personal. I know I'll have to answer everything eventually, and even though I promised myself to be honest with her, I wasn't completely ready and willing to give some answers.

As planned, we managed to make it there before the difficult questions arose. There were a couple shifters lying on my front porch. They stood up and started growling faintly. I growled back, not in mood to take any of their crap.

"You've had long enough to conduct your investigation. I'm reclaiming my property," I declared. The front door opened and Jacob walked out. He motioned his head to greet me, hesitant of my response. I nodded back, slightly. His eyes moved to Alice, and he clenched his jaw. I mimicked him, preparing myself in case I had to keep them from attacking her again. "Are you going to share what you concluded or is that classified information?"

His eyes narrowed as if he was still debating it. "The short bloodsucker didn't kill Jared. That much we figured out. The scents that of the other leeches that we picked up were the same ones we've been picking up over the last few weeks."

"Are there any fresh trails?"

"No, we scoured the whole area, but the freshest tracks are more than a couple days old now." I ran my hand through my hair, disappointed. I wanted to get my hands on them myself. "Now that you are all healed, Sam wants you to hold up your word and talk to our council. They'll be meeting today," Jacob reminded me.

"I'll be there…if you leave now," I asserted. Jacob smiled and let out an amused huff.

"I will be at the creek at noon to escort you," he looked back at pack members and took off together back into the woods without another word.

"I don't know how comfortable I am with you being alone with a pack of werewolves," Alice admitted as soon as they were out of earshot.

" _Shifters_ ," I corrected. "And I'll be fine. I'm not nearly in as bad a shape as I have been." I walked through the already open door of the house. The thick stench of shifters, vampires, and blood assaulted me. "I'm gonna need to air out this house for a month to begin to even tame the smell. Sorry, Alice, but I think I may have to burn the furniture too." She nodded and held her tiny hand up to her nose.

Everything still looked the same, more or less. I couldn't remember much; the memory was hazy. The lone chair that they had me restrained in was still sitting in the middle of the living room, along with the chains wrapped around the legs where Alice had left them. The pools of my blood had dried and turned a dark color, staining the wooden floors. My torturers' devices sat on the table a few feet away, arranged as neatly as tools on a surgical tray. It only reminded me of how truly sadistic they were.

"I thought you were dead," Alice whispered. I turned to look at her. She was staring at the chair, her arms crossed, holding herself. Her eyes became glossy with tears that would never fall. She looked so small and fragile. "You were covered in blood. I was so scared that I couldn't even hear you breathing at first. I was almost too afraid to touch you."

I took a few steps toward her and gently reached for her hand. "It was your touch that actually woke me up. Well, that, and your voice." _I thought it was an angel's._ I tilted her chin up for her to look at me. "You saved my life." The corner of her mouth twitched slightly. I pulled her in for a hug, resting my cheek on the top of her head. Her strawberries and mint scent filled my nose, and I fought the urge to inhale deeper. She buried her face in the crook of my neck. Her faint cool breath caressed my skin in a way that made my heart beat faster. _Traitor._

I cleared my throat and pulled out of the embrace. "Listen, you don't have to be here. I can clean up most of this mess by—" she shook her head before I finished my sentence.

"No, I don't feel comfortable leaving you here alone."

"The wolves said they haven't been in the area in a few days, and I know they haven't been in my house in that time either."

"They pulled the wool over your eyes once, they can do it again," she argued.

"Wrong, I was sloppy before, and now, I know they're out there—"

"I don't care. You're stuck with me."

* * *

Between Alice and I, the house was cleaned up in no time. In truth, I was actually really glad she was there. Not just for the company, but for the cleaning part too. There were still traces of silver concentrated to the area where I was tied up. I could have done it, sure, but it would have been a major pain in the ass, even with precautions. It was then that I remembered that Alice could smell my blood easier than the others.

"The blood doesn't bother you?" I asked as she was mopping it up the floor.

"No, not at all actually. Your blood doesn't smell appetizing to me," she paused for a moment, then laughed. "Well, it's not that it doesn't smell good, just more like a fragrance…a perfume if you will."

"Is that normal?"

"No. Your scent is as appealing to me as another vampire. I don't associate it with food, just with you," I nodded, understanding.

"So what do I smell like?" I asked.

"Mm…like…" she suddenly appeared standing before me, eyes closed, inches from my collarbone, inhaling deeply. I found the gesture curious, knowing she could smell me just fine from her position across the room. But, who was I to complain? "…like pine needles…and a hint of grapefruit." Her eyes opened and her face tilted up a bit more to look at me. "And do I stink to you like we do to the other wolves?"

"You, no. You…you smell like strawberries and mint." I leaned forward as she did and inhaled through my nose. I could never get enough of that scent. "The others, yes. They smell very, very sweet. Almost nauseating, at first."

"Even Garrett?"

I laughed out loud. "Yes, even Garrett." Satisfied with my answer, she pranced back to what she was doing.

"Can you turn humans into werewolves?" she continued her questioning.

"I can't personally, no. Only an Alpha can, and only during blood moons. If a human is changed, they need to be carefully monitored, especially around other humans for at least the first few years. A bitten human has to assimilate to their newfound strength, senses, hunger, etc. Their wolf is also hard for them to control, at first."

"Their wolf form is harder to control? Why, are they stronger?"

"No, not exactly. Bitten wolves are actually weaker than born wolves, but that's not what I meant. When I say 'their wolf', I mean the inner animal. For werewolves, you sort of have two different personalities, the wolf and the human.

"The human part is pretty obvious, but the wolf is more animalistic. It's driven on almost pure instinct and raw emotion. It's easier to give in to the wild side, but when you're trying to keep up appearances, taming the beast is necessary."

"Were you bitten?"

"No, I was born a wolf, as were my parents. Pure bloodline stretching back thousands of years. Wasn't that unheard of before the genocide," I chuckled darkly.

"When was the last time you saw another werewolf?" she asked.

"A couple hundred years ago or so. Bitten wolves, not more than a hundred years old. They had just learned how to change without the moon's help."

"Is that something that's difficult to learn?"

"It takes an experienced wolf to shift at will. I, myself, wasn't able to till I was in my 50s, and that's actually quite early. It took major determination on my part."

"Did your parents teach you?"

I took a deep breath and tried to steady my now trembling hands. "No, they were long gone by that time."

Alice appeared in front of me again with her arms wrapped around my waist. "I'm sorry," she whispered. I hugged her back for a moment before letting go, yet again.

I cleared my throat and took a look around the room. "Looks presentable again. Thanks for sticking around and helping, Alice," I plopped down on the couch, snatching up the remote to my iPod dock. It was already on, but I turned the volume down. The small vampire took a seat next to me and casually laid her head on my shoulder. I bit my lip and dared myself to wrap my arm around her. Without hesitation, she leaned in closer.

"What about you? How old are you?" I asked, fed up with being questioned.

"Nope. This is my time to ask about you."

"C'mon, Alice. Technically, you didn't tell me much of anything about the real you, either. Besides, we've been prattling on about me for a few hours now. Can we ease up a little bit, please?" I whined. She squinted her eyes at me for a moment.

"I was born in 1901 in Biloxi, Mississippi, and I was turned when I was 19."

"Was it Carlisle that turned you?"

"Actually, I don't know who bit me. In fact, I don't really remember much of anything from my former life." Alice observed the extremely confused expression on my face and continued. "I woke up alone in the woods with no memories. The only clue I had was from a medical band on my wrist. It was then I had my first vision of meeting Jasper and joining the Cullens." My body tensed and heart plummeted to the pit of my stomach like a brick. _She's known she was going to be with him since day one?_ "I spent the next couple decades trying to convert to the 'vegetarian' lifestyle, though admittedly, I slipped a few times. I met up with Jasper at a diner in Pennsylvania, finally, in the late 1940s, and we found Carlisle a couple years after that."

"Did you ever find out why you were at a hospital?"

"It was a mental asylum actually. Later on, I had broken in and stole my file. Apparently, I was having premonitions in my human life too. My father admitted me after he claimed I was having 'delusions' about him being responsible for my mother's death and about his plotting to kill me."

"Delusions?"

"Yeah, I guess I was having visions about him, and he wanted me gone or dead." I clenched my jaw, feeling my canines grow again.

"So did you ever figure out the reason behind the amnesia?"

"Carlisle and I think it had to do with the electroshock therapy I was put through." I cringed. I couldn't imagine little, human Alice bound to a chair writhing in pain. The very thought had me growling. "It's ok, Bella," she giggled. "They're all dead by now. No need to go hunting them down."

"Do you remember anything at all from before?"

"Every once in a while something will trigger a flash, flickers of my past life, but other than that, not really."

We sat in silence for a while though I was hardly listening to the music. Her story was running through my mind. All I kept picturing was a lost, tiny Alice alone and scared. I wondered about what would have happened if I had ran into her then. _Would I have fallen for her or would I have killed the newborn vampire on sight?_ The thought caused me to shiver.

"Oh I'm sorry. Am I making you cold?" she began to pull away. I tightened my hold to keep her in place.

"No, no. I was just picturing what you must have went through. I'm not liking the images." She repositioned herself, wrapping her arms around my waist and placing her head in the crook of my neck.

"Don't worry, Bella. I'm happy now," she whispered. I grounded myself in the moment. Alice in my arms. The truth out in the open…mostly. I wanted to hold her forever. I wanted to tell her, but I didn't want to ruin this moment. Not now. "What song is this?" she asked. I had all but forgotten there was music playing.

_"I'd never ask you 'cause deep down, I'm certain I know what you'd say. You'd say, 'I'm sorry, believe me, I love you, but not in that way'."_

I huffed in amusement when I realized what song it was. "It's Sam Smith. The song's called 'Not In That Way'."

"It's kinda sad. He's talking about unrequited love, right?"

"Yup." I clenched my jaw.

"Have you ever been in love before?" Alice gave me a curious look I couldn't pinpoint.

"No, I've never been in love before…" … _you._ "I mean I've had fun here and there. Obviously, in a span of hundreds of years, it'd be insane to hold off such cravings." I admired her face and looked in the eyes, deep pools of topaz. "But…I had never experienced that intimacy…that unbelievably strong connection you can have with someone that causes you to constantly yearn for their presence. The feeling that goes so far beyond just sexual desires. The feeling that fills the soul and makes it realize that it's finally whole. I'd never felt that."

Alice was holding a breath she never needed to take. For a brief second, I saw her glance at my lips. My heart quickened in pace once again. She leaned forward toward my face just a fraction of an inch. Then, a loud knock sounded at the door just before I could reciprocate. My body immediately tensed, knowing full well who was at the door by the mere smell.

"I'll get it," I growled through now jagged teeth. Inflated with anger, I swung the door open, and there they stood, Jasper and Edward. I stood there staring at them, too infuriated to speak.

Jasper cleared his throat, "I want to apologize for the way I've been acting, and though I know it would be absurd to ask for your friendship at the present moment, I'm asking if we can at least be civil with one another." He outstretched his hand in a gesture of peace. I heard Alice walk up close behind me.

I could see the reflection of my glowing eyes in his black ones. Every fiber of my being wanted to tear his ass to shreds right then and there. I hated everything about him, right down to his slight southern drawl. I didn't want peace between us. I had a whole list of reasons to kill him, interrupting my moment with Alice being the most recently added. But what choice did I have? I doubted the Cullens would forgive me a second time for attacking one of their own, especially unprovoked…at least to their knowledge. I took his hand in a firm handshake, resisting the intense urge to crush his hand in my grip.

"Well, now that we have that settled, we are going for a hunt. Alice, would you care to join us?" he turned to her, standing right beside me.

"I don't feel comfortable leaving Bella alone…"

"I didn't feel comfortable with that idea either, Alice," Edward chimed in. "Which is why I will stay with her." _Oh hell no._

"No, that's ok," I told the leech. I turned to Alice, "Go ahead and go. I want to hunt a bit myself before I go meet up with the shifters."

"Are you sure?" she asked, still concerned.

"Yes, please go. All of you." I shot a look at the other two.

After promising she would be by later, Alice took off into the woods with the males; myself, taking off in a different direction.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I splashed cold water from the creek on my face. The short hunt really did the trick. I felt like myself again. Snow still covered the ground; my breath visible with each exhale. All seemed peaceful, till a musky odor invaded my senses, alerting me of the incoming shifters.

I took a moment to straighten up and dust off my clothes. I had no idea how I was to dress to meet their leaders. I figured I couldn't go wrong with a nice black button-up and some nice dark jeans. Dressing too casual could seem disrespectful.

Jacob and two wolves broke the tree line on the other side of the creek. My wolf growled internally. _This is not going to be easy_.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Jacob called out, after a momentary stare down. I raised my eyebrow.

"You're the one that outnumbers me," I pointed out. I put my hands in my pockets to indicate nonaggression. He seemed to accept this and beckoned me forward. Already regretting the position I'd put myself in, I leapt across the natural boundary with ease.

"Lead the way."

* * *

After a very tense run through the woods, we slowed to a walk when a group came into sight, surrounding a campfire. They consisted of mostly men, with the exception of one woman and a few wolves. The wolves flanked the others protectively with Sam standing out in front, in his human form.

"You made it," he said.

"You sound surprised. I gave you my word," I stopped a few feet in front of him.

"I have a hard time believing anything you say. You've lied before."

"Really? I had my reasons for my secrets, just like the rest of you. Now, can we move past the hypocritical remarks and get the point of my visit."

"Yes, please," called a voice from behind Sam. It belonged to a man in a wheelchair. He wore a black cowboy hat and had long black hair that ran passed his shoulders. "We have questions about what you are, and what happened the day you and Jared were attack."

I explained to them the major physiological differences between our species. I could tell it bothered them when I mentioned my superior speed and strength... _bad memories, I guess_. They were intrigued about the other shifters I had met in the past. They seemed taken aback that there were different animal shifters, but given that they thought they were werewolves this entire time, I wasn't exactly surprised.

When it came time to explain what happened the day of the attack, the conversation took a somber tone.

"Why were they torturing you? What did they want to know?" Billy, the man in the wheelchair questioned.

"They wanted information about me to deliver back to the Volturi."

"What's the Volturi?" the woman, who had introduced herself as Sue, asked.

"The Volturi are like the royalty of the vampire world. They are the ones that make and enforce vampiric laws. Centuries ago, one of the Volturi called for a complete elimination of all werewolves. They hunted down and killed hundreds of my kind. I thought that they stopped actively searching a long time ago…that is until those two vampires showed up at my house."

"How were you taken down by only two of them?" Sam asked. I held back a smirk. _You would be asking that question._

"They had wolfsbane, a rare flower that's poisonous to humans, but was used by my kind to stop the mandatory shift during the full moon. It was thought to be extinct after the Volturi had it destroyed during the early years of the genocide. I had never come across it before. The two vampires used it on me that day. It not only stopped me from shifting, but it practically turned me human. No super strength; no accelerated healing." I didn't dare mention the silver thing. I didn't want them getting any ideas. Revealing the fact about the wolfsbane didn't pose a great threat since the plant was so scarce. "For the record, I'm very sorry for what happened to your friend," I said sincerely.

Paul, who had been standing off to the side silently, spoke up; his face contorted with anger. "Had we known that you what you were, Jared wouldn't have felt the need to protect you, and he would still be here."

"Look, I express my sympathies for what happened to him, but I will not apologize for failing to announce my presence to you. I don't go making a spectacle of myself."

"It's your fault he's dead!" Paul was shaking with anger.

"I wasn't the one who killed him," I bared my teeth.

"That's enough, Paul!" Sam ordered in that authoritative voice again. Paul closed his mouth with an audible snap and bowed his head.

"To my knowledge, they were supposed to come back so they could take me to the Volturi. Alice found me before they did. You know the rest."

* * *

Sam and a few wolves lead me into a nearby barn so that their elders could deliberate on "the new circumstances". I willingly gave them their space, knowing that even if they wanted to keep me prisoner or something more extreme, it wouldn't be hard to lose them. Even in their wolf forms, they weren't nearly as agile as I was. _If I was dealing with the panther shifters again, I'd be way more hesitant. Those kitties could move._ After some time passed, they summoned us again.

Billy spoke, "After hearing your testimony regarding the death of Jared, we cannot put any of the blame on you. As a supernatural creature, it would be expected that you would keep your true identity a secret. Also, it's unfortunate to say that even though Jared's intentions were pure, he had no business trying to protect you off of our lands." Paul growled, but was silenced from the looks of the council members and Sam.

"You've aligned yourself with the Cullens. Therefore, from this moment on, you will abide by the same terms of the treaty that they do. You will stay out of our territory, and you will also keep our secret from others. In turn, we will not attack you or reveal your secret. We will continue to only protect on our lands." he announced.

"I would like to add that you will not be allowed on my property either, and we must inform each other if any other vampire enters the vicinity, friendly or not. If we keep each other in the loop, we are less likely to run into more misunderstandings. Agreed?" I reached out my hand to Billy.

"Agreed." He said shaking my hand. I made sure Sam also shook my hand. "Sam will give you a quick run around the boundary so that there is no confusion." I nodded and said my goodbyes to the council and most of the pack.

* * *

Sam, Paul, and Jacob took up the rest of the afternoon running the borders of the territory. The shifters in human form were a great deal slower than their animal counterparts, but Sam wanted to be available in case more questions arose which there were on his part.

"You said that one of the Cullens was your mate. It was her, right? The short one? How does she not know that she's your mate?" Sam asked.

"Because she believes she already has a mate."

"The blonde male," he stated matter-of-factly. "That's gotta be tough. For us, the imprinting is instant upon eye contact. Two worlds become one. Trying to ignore the pull is nearly impossible."

"My inner wolf made the connection first. It took a while for the rest of me to figure it out."

"What will you do if she doesn't choose you?"

The question caused a sharp pain in my chest. "I…I don't know. I don't think I could stick around, but at the same time, I doubt I'd be able to leave her side regardless." It wasn't like I hadn't thought of that possibility. The mere thought of it, though, had my heart sinking to the pit of my stomach.

"My imprint, Emily, and I tried to ignore it when it happened to us. I was in a happy relationship with her cousin, Leah, at the time. Leah and Emily were very close, like sisters.

"Well, when Emily and I locked eyes after I had started phasing, I felt this overwhelming pull to her. I needed to be with her, be near her. I spent the first couple days trying my best to avoid her, but she was the only thing on my mind, and it made me physically ill to be away from her. I broke it off with Leah and immediately went to Emily's to tell her how I felt. Despite feeling the same way, we had an on again/off again relationship for a while. We were both very torn between wanting to be with each other and not wanting to hurt Leah. In the end, the imprint was too strong to ignore."

I quietly ran next to Sam, processing his words. I compared his story with his mate to my own. There were some similarities between them: my attempts to avoid Alice, becoming sick when I did stay away from her, the hot and cold times in our relationship. I just hoped I would have the same happy ending that Sam had.

"Just be patient. If mating in your world is resembles ours at all, she'll be yours soon enough."

I let out a small chuckle. One thing I had learned over my lifetime was that age did not necessarily mean wisdom. Wisdom comes from experience. I may have had several centuries on the alpha shifter, but I had no experience whatsoever on mates. It was in this area, Sam was older than I.

We finished out our perimeter run and ended up back at the same part of the creek I met the shifters earlier in the day. It was well past sunset now, and dark clouds shrouded the waxing moon that was beginning to rise up over the trees. I took my time getting back to my house. I opened my senses, feeling out the environment around me and pushed every stressful thought out of my mind. I enjoyed every deep breath of cool, crisp air and every sound of the crunching snow under my footsteps. I was so aware of my surroundings that I even felt the slight temperature drop before the light snowflakes started to fall.

Despite the events over the past week, I was more relaxed than I had been in months. All the secrets and the lies were practically all out in the open now. I only had two problems left to focus on, my relationship with Alice and the Volturi's hunters.

The light was on in my little house, meaning Alice was waiting for me. The thought made me smile, as her heavenly scent invaded my senses. The little vampire opened the front door as I walked up closer to the house. The next thing I knew, something hard impacted my chest and I felt something hanging from my neck. Alice had wrapped her arms and legs around my body in a vice grip.

"I was so worried about you," she whispered into my neck. Her body pressed against mine mixed with the coolness of her breath on my skin was making my mind fuzzy. I forced myself to unhook her from my body and place her on her own two feet in front of me. It wasn't until she looked up at me that I saw her jet black eyes.

"I thought you went hunting with Jasper. Why are your eyes so black?"

She shut them and looked away as if she was just caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. "I did hunt. I got back about an hour ago or so. You weren't back yet, and I was so worried about you. I didn't think your meeting with them was going to take so long, and I can't ever see any of you so I had no clue what was going on." _Her eyes are black from concern…for me._

I pulled her back into another hug. One I was actually expecting this time. She wrapped her arms tightly around my waist as I rested my cheek on the top of her head, our familiar embrace. "I'm sorry for making you worry. The shifters were just showing me the perimeter line. They want me to stay on your side of the treaty line…since I aligned myself with you."

Alice looked up at me with a bright smile, her eye color already turning into a burning amber. "Really?"

"I'm on your side no matter where you stand. Always." I squeezed her tight for one more moment before letting her go. "C'mon, let's go inside so I can get this wet dog smell off of me."

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but…" Alice giggled as she disappeared back inside.

* * *

After my shower and some deep persuading, I convinced Alice to let me stay in my own home, but only with the condition that she stay the night as well. Obviously, I wasn't going to protest to that.

"Sure you won't be bored staying awake all night?"

"No, I figured I could at least do all the homework you missed for school," she said as she pulled out a small stack of papers from a bag in the corner of the room. She smiled as I raised my eyebrow. "I brought a bag of my stuff just in case you would be too stubborn to come back to my house. I guess I was right."

"I thought you couldn't see my future?"

"No, but maybe you've become predictable." I feigned that I was offended. She giggled.

"And the homework?"

"Oh, Esme picked it up yesterday from school for you. We were busy so I just figured I'd do it for you."

"You really don't have to…"

"It's not a big deal. Besides, I could probably get it done faster than you. Oh, and Esme also made you a meatloaf. I stuck it in the fridge when I got here." My stomach growled almost on cue. Alice grinned. Sure enough, there was a meatloaf in my fridge, and it smelled amazing. I put it in the oven to heat up for a few minutes before sitting at the table.

"Does the smell of food bother you?" I asked.

"No," she answered, sitting at the other end of the table in the recent purchased second chair. "The smell isn't appetizing, but it doesn't smell bad either. It's actually quite fascinating to watch people eat. I personally don't remember what it was like."

"What would happen if you tried?"

"Well my body can't digest it. It would sit in my body till I threw it up. The venom makes everything taste bitter too. I've heard it being compared to a human eating mud. Nothing bad happens, but after trying it, you don't really want to do it again."

"Food equals mud. Got it."

"You never talked about that with Garrett?" she asked.

"No, we mostly talk about the past," _And you._ "Catching up on the last couple hundred years takes time." The little vampire smiled to herself, for reasons unbeknownst to me.

* * *

I awoke panting, drenched in sweat. My mother's scream still deafening my ears from the depths of my dream; the depths of my memory.

"Bella?" a small voice called cautiously. My eyes snapped toward the voice. Alice's silhouette stood in the doorway of my dark room. "Are you ok? You were growling, and your eyes are glowing."

I took a deep breath, willing my muscles and my wolf to relax. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a nightmare," a replied with an edge in my voice.

She still stood at the doorway, hesitant to come in any farther. I scooted over to make room for her on the bed. Alice lied down in a semi reclining position and gently pulled me closer to hold me. I laid my head on her stomach and wrapped my arm just below her waist. She lightly scratched my scalp. The sensation combined with her scent put me in a dreamlike state. With her other hand, she traced the already healing, deep scratches on my arm where I must have cut myself in my sleep. _Wouldn't be the first time._

"Were you dreaming about your parents? You were calling to them in your sleep."

"Yes."

"Do you dream about them a lot?"

"Yes."

"How did they die?"

I reflexively held her tighter before answering. "The Volturi killed them. They found us, and my parents gave me the chance to get away. I was nine-years-old."

"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry." Alice hugged me tight and kissed the top of my head.

"You shouldn't feel sorry. It was my fault they died," my voice void of emotion.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it's true." I pulled out from her embrace and got out of bed. The sheets, stained with my blood, were virtually ribbons from the shredding they took in my sleep, and the stuffing from the pillows scattered the floor near the bed. I stood in front of my window and looked up the moon, peeking from behind snow clouds. "It's funny. Most life revolves around the sun; mine revolves around the moon."

Alice didn't move or say anything. She just watched me from the position I left her in. I took a deep breath. "My parents and I were settled just outside of a small village in Italy. My mother would take me into town with her when she would run errands so that I could play with the other children around my age. She would always say it was important to mingle with people so that we could learn their ways and wouldn't suspect we were different. There weren't very many children in the village so when a new family came to town we always admitted the new kids to our group immediately.

"One day, there were two new faces playing amongst my friends. They were twins, a girl and a boy. They were couple years or so older than me. They were both pretty quiet, at first, but the girl and I, became close. Closer than to anyone else.

"Eventually, she confided in me that she and her brother were not the same as other children. She told me they had 'special powers'. I obviously didn't believe her, but she after quite a bit of concentration on her part, she managed to kill every plant surrounding us. I was thrilled. There was another kid, like me, that was different. So…as an ignorant and naïve child does, I spilled my secret to her as well. She, of course, had many questions, and I answered them all. I didn't hold anything back. Why would I? She was my friend, right?" I sneered.

"A few days later, my parents got word that the Volturi had found us. For some reason, we didn't run. They didn't even try. That night, they came for us. My parents stayed behind so that I could get away. I can still hear my mother's screams." Tears were streaming down my face. "I found out later how the vampires managed to find us. Turns out, my 'friend' and her brother had a guardian by the name of Aro." Alice's eyes grew wide. "Yes. The head of the Volturi had a particular interest in the twins' abilities and used them to seek out other 'special children' in hopes that when they grew older and were turned, their gifts would manifest into something greater and would ultimately make them useful members of their Guard."

"I knew that Aro had an interest in special gifts, but I never thought it went to that length," Alice commented.

"Yes, well, as far as I know his little experiment never gained traction beyond the twins but as I understand it, they became his most feared Guard members to date."

"Jane and Alec," she whispered.

I clenched my jaw and gave a single nod. "The boy can rob you of all your senses, and leave you blind and completely defenseless. Jane, on the other hand, tortures with a look. A deadly duo with abilities on extremely opposite ends of a spectrum." I was trembling, overcome with emotion. _Why didn't they run?_ "I've never told anyone the details about what happened to them. Any time anyone would ever ask about them, I'd find a way to get out of giving an answer."

Alice appeared next to me and gently held my hand. The sudden gesture combined with the vast temperature difference in our skin caused my breath to get caught in my throat.

"I want you to feel like you can tell me anything. No more secrets," she looked deep into my eyes as she spoke. The moonlight that spilled in from the window made her pale skin glow beautifully. My heart clenched in my chest.

"What if you don't like what you hear?" my voice broke.

She squeezed my hand and reached up with her other one to softly caress my cheek. "Nothing you say will change how I feel about you." The air around us vibrated with energy. Her eyes blazed with intensity, gazing into mine. She was the first to break, flickering her eyes to my lips. Her breath became shallowing, mirroring my own. I leaned closer to her face, my heart pounding. I paused an inch from her lips, hesitating, but before I could back out, Alice closed the distance, capturing my lips.


End file.
